A cooperative role for the counteranion in the PCl5-initiated living, cationic chain growth polycondensation of the phosphoranimine Cl3P═NSiMe3.

The counteranion associated with the cationic initiator [Cl(3)P═N═PCl(3)](+) ([4](+)) generated during the PCl(5)-initiated living, cationic chain growth polycondensation of the N-silylphosphoranimine Cl(3)P═NSiMe(3) (3) to give poly(dichlorophosphazene), [N═PCl(2)](n) (2), has been found to have a dramatic effect on the polymerization. When the counteranion of [4](+) was changed from PCl(6)(-) or Cl(-) to the weakly coordinating anions [BAr*(F)(4)](-) and [BAr(F)(4)](-) (Ar*(F) = 3,5-{CF(3)}(2)C(6)H(3), Ar(F) = C(6)F(5)) instead of the polymerization of 3 being complete in 4-6 h, no reaction was observed after 24 h. Remarkably, the polymerization of 3 may be initiated by Cl(-) anions even in the absence of an active cation such as [4](+).

Probing the mechanism of the PCl5-initiated living cationic polymerization of the phosphoranimine Cl3P=NSiMe3 using model compound chemistry.

New insight into the mechanism of the ambient temperature PCl5-initiated living cationic chain growth polycondensation of the N-silylphosphoranimine Cl3P=NSiMe3 (1) to give poly(dichlorophosphazene), [N=PCl2]n, has been provided by studies of model compound chemistry. Investigations of the reactivity of Cl- salts of the proposed cationic intermediates [Cl3P=N=PCl3]+ ([2]+) and [Cl3P=N-PCl2=N=PCl3]+ ([6]+) toward Ph3P=NSiMe3 (3a) provided evidence that under the usual polymerization conditions that involve a high monomer to initiator ratio, propagation occurs at both chain ends. However, analogous studies of near stoichiometric processes suggested that propagation is faster at one chain end, particularly when the chains are short.

Polymeric materials based on main group elements: the recent development of ambient temperature and controlled routes to polyphosphazenes.

This Perspective discusses the development of new routes to polyphosphazenes, [R(2)P[double bond, length as m-dash]N](n), that occur at ambient temperature and, in some cases, allow molecular weight control and access to narrow molecular weight distributions and block copolymers. For example, the room temperature silyl-carborane initiated ring-opening polymerisation of (NPCl(2))(3) is described together with chain growth condensation polymerisations of phosphoranimines Cl(3)P[double bond, length as m-dash]NSiMe(3) and BrMePhP[double bond, length as m-dash]NSiMe(3). Recent works on donor-stabilised cationic phosphoranimines are also discussed.

Phosphine-mediated dehalogenation reactions of trichloro(N-silyl)phosphoranimines.

The reaction of N-(trimethylsilyl)phosphoranimine Cl3P=NSiMe3 (1) with nBu3P or Ph3P yields the N-(dichlorophosphino)phosphoranimines nBu3P=NPCl2 (4a) or Ph3P=NPCl2 (4b), respectively. Detailed studies of this reaction indicate a mechanism that involves the reductive dechlorination of 1 by the tertiary phosphine to yield nBu3PCl2 (5a) or Ph3PCl2 (5b) with the apparent formation of the transient chlorophosphinimine ClP=NSiMe3 (6), followed by condensation of 5a or 5b with 1 to form 4a or 4b and Me3SiCl. Convincing evidence for the proposed mechanism was revealed by studies of the analogous reaction between the N-(triphenylsilyl)phosphoranimine Cl3P=NSiPh3 (8) with nBu3P and Ph3P.