ELECTROCHEMICALLY INDUCED PROCESSES IN THE FORMATION OF PHOSPHORUS ACID DERIVATIVES. 1. SYNTHESIS OF TRIALKYL PHOSPHATES FROM WHITE PHOSPHORUS

Article abstract of DOI:10.1007/BF00866579

An electrochemical method, based on the joint action of nucleophilic and electrophilic reagents on P4, is proposed in order to utilize white phosphorus in the formation of the esters of phosphorus acids.The action of alkoxide ions on white phosphorus in an alcohol medium in the presence of iodine generated at the anode leads to the formation of phosphate esters.A scheme in which the intermediate products are dialkyl and trialkyl phosphites and the side product is dialkyl alkylphosphonate is proposed for the process.Key words: Phosphate esters, white phosphorus, electrosynthesis.