Phosphine oxides

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General formula of organophosphine oxides Phosphine oxide.svg
General formula of organophosphine oxides

Phosphine oxides are phosphorus compounds with the formula OPX3. When X = alkyl or aryl, these are organophosphine oxides. Triphenylphosphine oxide is an example. An inorganic phosphine oxide is phosphoryl chloride (POCl3). [1] The parent phosphine oxide (H3PO) remains rare and obscure.

Contents

Structure and bonding

Tertiary phosphine oxides

Principal resonance structures for phosphine oxides. R3POresSt.svg
Principal resonance structures for phosphine oxides.

Tertiary phosphine oxides are the most commonly encountered phosphine oxides. With the formula R3PO, they are tetrahedral compounds. They are usually prepared by oxidation of tertiary phosphines. The P-O bond is short and polar. According to molecular orbital theory, the short P–O bond is attributed to the donation of the lone pair electrons from oxygen p-orbitals to the antibonding phosphorus-carbon bonds. [2] The nature of the P–O bond was once hotly debated. Some discussions invoked a role for phosphorus-centered d-orbitals in bonding, but this analysis is not supported by computational analyses. In terms of simple Lewis structure, the bond is more accurately represented as a dative bond, as is currently used to depict an amine oxide. [3] [4]

Secondary phosphine oxides

Secondary phosphine oxides (SPOs), formally derived from secondary phosphines (R2PH), are again tetrahedral at phosphorus. [5] One commercially available example of a secondary phosphine oxide is diphenylphosphine oxide. SPOs are used in the formulation of catalysts for cross coupling reactions. [6]

Unlike tertiary phosphine oxides, SPOs often undergo further oxidation, which enriches their chemistry:

R2P(O)H + H2O2 → R2P(O)OH + H2O

These reactions are preceded by tautomerization to the phosphinous acid (R2POH):

R2P(O)H R2POH

Primary phosphine oxides

Primary phosphine oxides, formally oxidized derivatives of primary phosphines, are again tetrahedral at phosphorus. With four different substituents (O, OH, H, R) they are chiral. The primary phosphine oxides subject to tautomerization, which leads to racemization, and further oxidation, analogous to the behavior of SPOs. Additionally, primary phosphine oxides are susceptible to disproportionation to the phosphinic acid and the primary phosphine: [7]

2 RP(O)H2 → RP(O)(H)OH + 2 RPH2

Syntheses

Phosphine oxide are typically produced by oxidation of organophosphines. The oxygen in air is often sufficiently oxidizing to fully convert trialkylphosphines to their oxides at room temperature:

R3P + 1/2 O2 → R3PO

This conversion is usually undesirable. In order to suppress this reaction, air-free techniques are often employed when handling say, trimethylphosphine.

Less basic phosphines, such as methyldiphenylphosphine are converted to their oxides by treatment with hydrogen peroxide: [8]

PMePh2 + H2O2 → OPMePh2 + H2O

Phosphine oxides are generated as a by-product of the Wittig reaction:

R3PCR'2 + R"2CO → R3PO + R'2C=CR"2

Another albeit unconventional route to phosphine oxides is the thermolysis of phosphonium hydroxides:

[PPh4]Cl + NaOH → Ph3PO + NaCl + PhH

The hydrolysis of phosphorus(V) dihalides also affords the oxide: [9]

R3PCl2 + H2O → R3PO + 2 HCl

A special nonoxidative route is applicable secondary phosphine oxides, which arise by the hydrolysis of the chlorophosphine. An example is the hydrolysis of chlorodiphenylphosphine to give diphenylphosphine oxide:

Ph2PCl + H2O → Ph2P(O)H + HCl

Reactions

Complexes

Transition metal complexes of phosphine oxides are numerous.

Deoxygenation

The deoxygenation of phosphine oxides has been extensively developed because many useful stoichiometric reactions convert tertiary phosphines to the corresponding oxides. Regeneration of the tertiary phosphine requires cheap oxophilic reagents, which are usually silicon-based. These deoxygenation reactions can be subdivided into stoichiometric and catalytic processes. [10]

Stoichiometric processes

Use of trichlorosilane is a standard laboratory method. Industrial routes use phosgene or equivalent reagents, which produce chlorotriphenylphosphonium chloride, which is separately reduced. [11] For chiral phosphine oxides, deoxygenation can proceed with retention or inversion of configuration. Classically, inversion is favored by a combination of trichlorosilane and triethylamine, whereas in the absence of the Lewis base, the reaction proceeds with retention. [12]

HSiCl3 + Et3N ⇋ SiCl3 + Et3NH+
R3PO + Et3NH+ ⇋ R3POH+ + Et3N
SiCl3 + R3POH+ → PR3 + HOSiCl3

The popularity of this method is partly attributable to the availability of inexpensive trichlorosilane. Instead of HSiCl3, other perchloropolysilanes, e.g. hexachlorodisilane (Si2Cl6), can also be used. In comparison, using the reaction of the corresponding phosphine oxides with perchloropolysilanes such as Si2Cl6 or Si3Cl8 in benzene or chloroform, phosphines can be prepared in higher yields.

R3PO + Si2Cl6 → R3P + Si2OCl6
2 R3PO + Si3Cl8 → 2 R3P + Si3O2Cl8

Deoxygenation has been effected with boranes and alanes. [10]

Catalytic processes

Phosphoric acids ((RO)2PO2H) catalyze the deoxygenation of phosphine oxides by hydrosilanes. [13]

Use

Phosphine oxides are ligands in various applications of homogeneous catalysis. In coordination chemistry, they are known to have labilizing effects to CO ligands cis to it in organometallic reactions. The cis effect describes this process.

Related Research Articles

Hydrolysis is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water is the nucleophile.

In chemistry, π backbonding is a π-bonding interaction between a filled (or half filled) orbital of a transition metal atom and a vacant orbital on an adjacent ion or molecule. In this type of interaction, electrons from the metal are used to bond to the ligand, which dissipates excess negative charge and stabilizes the metal. It is common in transition metals with low oxidation states that have ligands such as carbon monoxide, olefins, or phosphines. The ligands involved in π backbonding can be broken into three groups: carbonyls and nitrogen analogs, alkenes and alkynes, and phosphines. Compounds where π backbonding is prominent include Ni(CO)4, Zeise's salt, and molybdenym and iron dinitrogen complexes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phosphonium</span> Family of polyatomic cations containing phosphorus

In chemistry, the term phosphonium describes polyatomic cations with the chemical formula PR+
4
. These cations have tetrahedral structures. The salts are generally colorless or take the color of the anions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phosphorus trichloride</span> Chemical compound

Phosphorus trichloride is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula PCl3. A colorless liquid when pure, it is an important industrial chemical, being used for the manufacture of phosphites and other organophosphorus compounds. It is toxic and reacts readily with water to release hydrogen chloride.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phosphorous acid</span> Chemical compound (H3PO3)

Phosphorous acid is the compound described by the formula H3PO3. This acid is diprotic, not triprotic as might be suggested by this formula. Phosphorous acid is an intermediate in the preparation of other phosphorus compounds. Organic derivatives of phosphorous acid, compounds with the formula RPO3H2, are called phosphonic acids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perrhenic acid</span> Chemical compound

Perrhenic acid is the chemical compound with the formula Re2O7(H2O)2. It is obtained by evaporating aqueous solutions of Re2O7. Conventionally, perrhenic acid is considered to have the formula HReO4, and a species of this formula forms when rhenium(VII) oxide sublimes in the presence of water or steam. When a solution of Re2O7 is kept for a period of months, it breaks down and crystals of HReO4·H2O are formed, which contain tetrahedral ReO−4. For most purposes, perrhenic acid and rhenium(VII) oxide are used interchangeably. Rhenium can be dissolved in nitric or concentrated sulfuric acid to produce perrhenic acid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulfoxide</span> Organic compound containing a sulfinyl group (>SO)

In organic chemistry, a sulfoxide, also called a sulphoxide, is an organosulfur compound containing a sulfinyl functional group attached to two carbon atoms. It is a polar functional group. Sulfoxides are oxidized derivatives of sulfides. Examples of important sulfoxides are alliin, a precursor to the compound that gives freshly crushed garlic its aroma, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a common solvent.

Organophosphorus chemistry is the scientific study of the synthesis and properties of organophosphorus compounds, which are organic compounds containing phosphorus. They are used primarily in pest control as an alternative to chlorinated hydrocarbons that persist in the environment. Some organophosphorus compounds are highly effective insecticides, although some are extremely toxic to humans, including sarin and VX nerve agents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triphenylphosphine oxide</span> Chemical compound

Triphenylphosphine oxide (often abbreviated TPPO) is the organophosphorus compound with the formula OP(C6H5)3, also written as Ph3PO or PPh3O (Ph = C6H5). It is one of the more common phosphine oxides. This colourless crystalline compound is a common but potentially useful waste product in reactions involving triphenylphosphine. It is a popular reagent to induce the crystallizing of chemical compounds.

Deoxygenation is a chemical reaction involving the removal of oxygen atoms from a molecule. The term also refers to the removal of molecular oxygen (O2) from gases and solvents, a step in air-free technique and gas purifiers. As applied to organic compounds, deoxygenation is a component of fuels production as well a type of reaction employed in organic synthesis, e.g. of pharmaceuticals.

Organophosphines are organophosphorus compounds with the formula PRnH3−n, where R is an organic substituent. These compounds can be classified according to the value of n: primary phosphines (n = 1), secondary phosphines (n = 2), tertiary phosphines (n = 3). All adopt pyramidal structures. Organophosphines are generally colorless, lipophilic liquids or solids. The parent of the organophosphines is phosphine (PH3).

Hydrosilanes are tetravalent silicon compounds containing one or more Si-H bond. The parent hydrosilane is silane (SiH4). Commonly, hydrosilane refers to organosilicon derivatives. Examples include phenylsilane (PhSiH3) and triethoxysilane ((C2H5O)3SiH). Polymers and oligomers terminated with hydrosilanes are resins that are used to make useful materials like caulks.

Organoarsenic chemistry is the chemistry of compounds containing a chemical bond between arsenic and carbon. A few organoarsenic compounds, also called "organoarsenicals," are produced industrially with uses as insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides. In general these applications are declining in step with growing concerns about their impact on the environment and human health. The parent compounds are arsane and arsenic acid. Despite their toxicity, organoarsenic biomolecules are well known.

Zinc compounds are chemical compounds containing the element zinc which is a member of the group 12 of the periodic table. The oxidation state of zinc in most compounds is the group oxidation state of +2. Zinc may be classified as a post-transition main group element with zinc(II). Zinc compounds are noteworthy for their nondescript appearance and behavior: they are generally colorless, do not readily engage in redox reactions, and generally adopt symmetrical structures.

Oxophilicity is the tendency of certain chemical compounds to form oxides by hydrolysis or abstraction of an oxygen atom from another molecule, often from organic compounds. The term is often used to describe metal centers, commonly the early transition metals such as titanium, niobium, and tungsten. Oxophilicity is often stated to be related to the hardness of the element, within the HSAB theory, but it has been shown that oxophilicity depends more on the electronegativity and effective nuclear charge of the element than on its hardness. This explains why the early transition metals, whose electronegativities and effective nuclear charges are low, are very oxophilic. Many main group compounds are also oxophilic, such as derivatives of aluminium, silicon, and phosphorus(III). The handling of oxophilic compounds often requires air-free techniques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metal-phosphine complex</span>

A metal-phosphine complex is a coordination complex containing one or more phosphine ligands. Almost always, the phosphine is an organophosphine of the type R3P (R = alkyl, aryl). Metal phosphine complexes are useful in homogeneous catalysis. Prominent examples of metal phosphine complexes include Wilkinson's catalyst (Rh(PPh3)3Cl), Grubbs' catalyst, and tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phosphinimide ligands</span>

Phosphinimide ligands, also known as phosphorane iminato ligands, are any of a class of organic compounds of the general formula NPR3. The R groups represent organic substituents or, in rare cases, halides or NR2 groups. NPR3 is isoelectronic with phosphine oxides (OPR3) and siloxides ([OSiR3]), but far more basic. By varying the R groups on P, a variety of ligands with different electronic and steric properties can be produced, and due to the high oxidation state of phosphorus, these ligands have good thermal stability. Many transition metal phosphinimide complexes have been well-developed as have main group phosphinimide complexes.

Hydrophosphination is the insertion of a carbon-carbon multiple bond into a phosphorus-hydrogen bond forming a new phosphorus-carbon bond. Like other hydrofunctionalizations, the rate and regiochemistry of the insertion reaction is influenced by the catalyst. Catalysts take many forms, but most prevalent are bases and free-radical initiators. Most hydrophosphinations involve reactions of phosphine (PH3).

A transition metal phosphido complex is a coordination complex containing a phosphido ligand (R2P, where R = H, organic substituent). With two lone pairs on phosphorus, the phosphido anion (R2P) is comparable to an amido anion (R2N), except that the M-P distances are longer and the phosphorus atom is more sterically accessible. For these reasons, phosphido is often a bridging ligand. The -PH2 ion or ligand is also called phosphanide or phosphido ligand.

Phosphinous acids are usually organophosphorus compounds with the formula R2POH. They are pyramidal in structure. Phosphorus is in the oxidation state III. Most phosphinous acids rapidly convert to the corresponding phosphine oxide, which are tetrahedral and are assigned oxidation state V.

References

  1. D. E. C. Corbridge "Phosphorus: An Outline of its Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Technology" 5th Edition Elsevier: Amsterdam 1995. ISBN   0-444-89307-5.
  2. D. B. Chesnut (1999). "The Electron Localization Function (ELF) Description of the PO Bond in Phosphine Oxide". Journal of the American Chemical Society . 121 (10): 2335–2336. doi:10.1021/ja984314m.
  3. Gilheany, Declan G. (1994). "No d Orbitals but Walsh Diagrams and Maybe Banana Bonds: Chemical Bonding in Phosphines, Phosphine Oxides, and Phosphonium Ylides". Chemical Reviews. 94 (5): 1339–1374. doi:10.1021/cr00029a008. PMID   27704785.
  4. In fact, the N-O bonds in amine oxides are more likely to be closer to double bonds than are those of the P-O bonds in phosphine oxides; see e.g. https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2015/sc/c5sc02076j#:~:text=Quantitative%20analysis%20of%20known%20species%20of%20general%20formulae,high%20degree%20of%20covalent%20rather%20than%20ionic%20bonding.
  5. Gallen, Albert; Riera, Antoni; Verdaguer, Xavier; Grabulosa, Arnald (2019). "Coordination Chemistry and Catalysis with Secondary Phosphine oxides". Catalysis Science & Technology. 9 (20): 5504–5561. doi:10.1039/C9CY01501A. hdl: 2445/164459 . S2CID   202885438.
  6. Ackermann, Lutz (2007). "Catalytic Arylations with Challenging Substrates: From Air-Stable HASPO Preligands to Indole Syntheses and C-H-Bond Functionalizations". Synlett. 2007 (4): 0507–0526. doi:10.1055/s-2007-970744.
  7. Horký, Filip; Císařová, Ivana; Štěpnička, Petr (2021). "A Stable Primary Phosphane Oxide and Its Heavier Congeners". Chemistry – A European Journal. 27 (4): 1282–1285. doi:10.1002/chem.202003702. PMID   32846012. S2CID   221346479.
  8. Denniston, Michael L.; Martin, Donald R. (1977). Methyldiphenylphosphine Oxide and Dimethylphenylphosphine Oxide. Inorganic Syntheses. Vol. 17. pp. 183–185. doi:10.1002/9780470132487.ch50. ISBN   9780470132487.
  9. W. B. McCormack (1973). "3-Methyl-1-Phenylphospholene oxide". Organic Syntheses ; Collected Volumes, vol. 5, p. 787.
  10. 1 2 Podyacheva, Evgeniya; Kuchuk, Ekaterina; Chusov, Denis (2019). "Reduction of phosphine oxides to phosphines". Tetrahedron Letters. 60 (8): 575–582. doi:10.1016/j.tetlet.2018.12.070. S2CID   104364715.
  11. van Kalkeren, Henri A.; van Delft, Floris L.; Rutjes, Floris P. J. T. (2013). "Organophosphorus Catalysis to Bypass Phosphine Oxide Waste". ChemSusChem. 6 (9): 1615–1624. doi:10.1002/cssc.201300368. hdl: 2066/117145 . ISSN   1864-5631. PMID   24039197.
  12. Klaus Naumann; Gerald Zon; Kurt Mislow (1969). "Use of hexachlorodisilane as a reducing agent. Stereospecific deoxygenation of acyclic phosphine oxides". Journal of the American Chemical Society . 91 (25): 7012–7023. doi:10.1021/ja01053a021.
  13. Li, Yuehui; Lu, Liang-Qiu; Das, Shoubhik; Pisiewicz, Sabine; Junge, Kathrin; Beller, Matthias (2012). "Highly Chemoselective Metal-Free Reduction of Phosphine Oxides to Phosphines". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 134 (44): 18325–18329. doi:10.1021/ja3069165. ISSN   0002-7863. PMID   23062083.