Angewandte
Chemie
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201301881
Phosphorus Polymers
=
Isomerization Polymerization of the Phosphaalkene MesP CPh2: An
Alternative Microstructure for Poly(methylenephosphine)s**
Paul W. Siu, Spencer C. Serin, Ivo Krummenacher, Thomas W. Hey, and Derek P. Gates*
The synthesis and study of main-group-element analogues of
radical alkoxyamine initiators. These striking results led to
a revision of the proposed microstructure for poly(methyl-
enephosphine) that was produced by a radical reaction.
In an effort to understand the initiation step in the radical
polymerization of 1, we investigated its reaction with TEMPO
(1–2 equiv). 31P NMR spectroscopic analysis of the reaction
mixtures suggested the formation of multiple products,
including radical species, which were detected by EPR
spectroscopy. To date, none of these products have been
successfully isolated or unambiguously identified. In contrast,
employing the complex 1·AuCl[10,11] instead of 1 affords
a single product with TEMPO. Specifically, treatment of
a solution of 1·AuCl in toluene with TEMPO (1 equiv)
resulted in 50% conversion of 1·AuCl (d = 167.1) to a new
species, as determined by 31P NMR spectroscopy. Addition of
more TEMPO (1 equiv, that is, 2 equiv total) resulted in
complete conversion of 1·AuCl to two products in a ratio of
approximately 1:3, which displayed 31P signals at 135.6 ppm
À
alkenes and alkynes containing genuine (p p)p bonds
involving p-block elements is a central theme of inorganic
chemistry.[1,2] The prospect to “copy” the predictable and
=
ꢀ
sophisticated reaction chemistry of C C and C C bonds
utilizing functional inorganic systems is particularly enticing.
However, in many instances, the investigation of multiple
bonds of heavy elements leads to fascinating, albeit unex-
pected, outcomes that reinforce the fundamental differences
between the first and subsequent periods.
=
=
Inspired by the intriguing analogy between P C and C C
bonds in molecular chemistry,[3] we developed the addition
polymerization of phosphaalkenes as a route to new func-
tional phosphorus-containing polymers (Scheme 1).[4]
(d,
JPH = 18 Hz) and 130.5 ppm (d, JPH = 18 Hz). The
Scheme 1. The isolobal analogy between olefins and phosphaalkenes
as applied to addition polymerization to afford polyolefins and
poly(methylenephosphine).
magnitudes of the 31P–1H coupling constants are not consis-
tent with the expected product Mes(TEMPO)P(AuCl)-C-
(TEMPO)Ph2.
Colorless crystals were obtained by slow diffusion of
hexanes into the reaction mixture at À308C. Analysis of the
crystals by X-ray crystallography showed that the product was
the intriguing di-TEMPO species 2·AuCl (Figure 1).[11] As
anticipated, one of the TEMPO moieties was bound to
phosphorus. Surprisingly, the second TEMPO moiety was not
Although the synthesis of phosphorus-containing macromo-
lecules is of widespread interest because of their attractive
properties and potential applications,[5] the study of the
=
addition polymerization of P C bonds remains in its infancy.
=
Our studies showed that MesP CPh2 (1) and related mono-
=
mers polymerize in the presence of radical or anionic
initiators to afford poly(methylenephosphine) (Scheme 1).[6]
The living anionic polymerization of 1 permits the formation
of functional phosphine-containing block copolymers,[7,8] and
the radical-initiated copolymerization of 1 with styrene
affords random copolymers.[9]
In order to explore the mechanism of radical addition to
P = C bonds during polymerization, we investigated the
reactions of monomer 1 with TEMPO-derived radical sour-
ces. Herein, we report the discovery of a fascinating isomer-
ization polymerization of phosphaalkene 1 in the presence of
bound to the methylene carbon atom of the former P C bond.
Instead, this moiety was transformed to a CHPh2 group and
the former ortho-bound CH3 moiety of the mesityl group was
now a CH2(TEMPO) group. Presumably, TEMPO adds to
1·AuCl to afford a carbon-centered radical intermediate (i.e.,
{Mes(TEMPO)P(AuCl)}Ph2CC) to which HC from the ortho-
bound CH3 of the Mes group migrates. Although the chemical
or electrochemical one-electron oxidation and reduction of
phosphaalkenes has been studied extensively,[12] to our
knowledge, the nature of the addition of neutral radicals to
[13]
1
P C bonds is not well understood. The 31P and H NMR
spectra and elemental analysis were consistent with the
formulation of the product 2·AuCl. Interestingly, there are
two isomers of 2·AuCl, which we speculate are diastereomers
resulting from the stereogenic phosphorus center and atrop-
isomerism of the substituents.
=
[*] P. W. Siu, S. C. Serin, Dr. I. Krummenacher, Dr. T. W. Hey,
Prof. Dr. D. P. Gates
Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia
2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1 (Canada)
E-mail: dgates@chem.ubc.ca
In light of the observed formation of 2·AuCl from 1·AuCl,
we hypothesized that a similar C H activation might occur in
the polymerization of 1 using radical initiators. Thermolysis of
phosphaalkene 1 in the presence of substoichiometric quanti-
ties of TEMPO did not affect polymerization. In contrast,
heating the neat monomer 1 in the presence of the alkoxy-
À
[**] We thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
(NSERC) of Canada for funding this work. P.W.S. thanks NSERC for
a PGS D fellowship. Mes=2,4,6-trimethylphenyl.
Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, 6967 –6970
ꢀ 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
6967