Phosphoramidate-mediated conversion of carbonyl ligands into isocyanide ligands: a new approach to chiral isocyanide ligands.

Metal isocyanides have been used and studied by organometallic chemists for many years and, as a result, they have a rich and interesting chemistry. The nature of metal-free isocyanides and the methods of making isocyanide complexes, however, has resulted in the vast majority of studies to date being performed with structurally simple isocyanides. We report here a new approach to the synthesis of isocyanide ligands that involves the reaction of a metal carbonyl ligand with the anion of a phosphoramidate.