Diphosphanylketenimines: new reagents for the synthesis of unique phosphorus heterocycles.

Two consecutive [3+2] cycloaddition reactions of the diphosphanylketenimine (PPh(2))(2)C[double bond]C[double bond]NPh (3), involving the phosphanyl groups, with two equivalents of the electron-poor alkynes dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate or methyl acetylenecarboxylate give rise to the formation of the bicyclic 1 lambda(5),3 lambda(5)-diphospholes 5 a,b, which contain a phosphorane unit with five carbon substituents attached to the phosphorus center. Compound 3 undergoes cyclodimerization by crystallization, affording the unsymmetrical dimer 6, which is converted back to 3 by heating in toluene. Compound 6 can be oxidized stepwise on the three trivalent phosphorus atoms by treatment with H(2)O(2) affording 7, 9, and the transient species 10, which are transformed into their corresponding ketenimine monomers either spontaneously (10) or by heating in toluene (7, 9). In this way, the compound (O[double bond]PPh(2))(PPh(2))C[double bond]C[double bond]NPh (8) is quantitatively obtained. Compound 8 readily reacts with the alkynes MeO(2)CC[triple bond]CCO(2)Me and MeO(2)CC[triple bond]CH, and with phenyl isocyanate and ethyl isothiocyanate through regiospecific [3+2] cycloaddition processes furnishing several lambda(5)-phosphole and lambda(5)-azaphosphole derivatives. Finally, the reaction of 8 with N-methylpropargylamine yields the new 2,3-dihydro-1,4-lambda(5)-azaphosphinine 15 through a cycloaddition process involving two functional groups from each molecule.