General Approaches to Phosphinidenes via Retroadditions

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja00048a026

The retroaddition strategy for the generation of phosphinidenes involves thermal and photochemical decomposition of 1-arylphosphiranes and photolysis of 1-aryl-3-phospholenes.Evidence that free phosphinidenes are produced as reactive intermediates includes a lack of dependence of the conversion rate on precursor and substrate concentrations and the nature of the reaction products.These are best rationalized by the addition of phosphinidenes to carbon-carbon ?-bonds forming three-membered rings and the dimerization of phosphinidenes to diphosphenes.