Reactions of elemental phosphorus and phosphine with electrophiles in superbasic systems: XX. Phosphorylation of 4-vinylbenzyl chloride with elemental phosphorus

4-Vinylbenzyl chloride reacts with white and red phosphorus, as well as with nanostructured “activated” red phosphorus (complex organophosphorus polymer prepared from white phosphorus under ionizing radiation) in the system concentrated aqueous KOH-dioxane-phase-transfer catalyst (20–50°C, argon) to form tris(4-vinylbenzyl)phosphine oxide, along with (4-vinylbenzyl)- and bis(4-vinylbenzyl)phosphinic acids, the yield and product ratio being dependent on both the reaction conditions and the nature of the phosphorylating agent. The nanostructured “activated” red phosphorus is more reactive than ordinary commercial red phosphorus.     

Expedient one-pot organometallics-free synthesis of tris(2-pyridyl)phosphine from 2-bromopyridine and elemental phosphorus

2-Bromopyridine reacts with elemental phosphorus (red or white) in a superbasic KOH/DMSO(H₂O) suspension at 100 °C (for red phosphorus) and 75 °C (for white phosphorus) over 3 h to afford tris(2-pyridyl)phosphine in a 62% yield (from red phosphorus) and a 50% yield (from white phosphorus). Under microwave assistance, the reaction with red phosphorus takes just 20 min to produce tris(2-pyridyl)phosphine in 53% yield. A hitherto unknown complex, [Pd(PPy₃)₂Cl₂]·CH₂Cl₂, synthesized from tris(2-pyridyl)phosphine and PdCl₂, has the cis-configuration; this is unusual for bis(phosphino)palladium dichloride complexes.     

Controlled defect formation in elemental phosphorus as method for its chemical activation

The reveiw surveys and systematizes data on the role of defect formation in activation of red phosphorus. The reactivities of different modifications of elemental phosphorus (viz., white phosphorus, commercial red phosphorus, and red phosphorus containing high concentrations of biographical and induced defects) in inorganic and organic reactions were comparatively analyzed.     

Chiral Dicopper Complexes with a Doubly Asymmetric Ligand as Models for the Tyrosinase Active Site: Synthesis,Structure, O2‐Reactivity and Comparison with Their Symmetric Analogs

In order to model the asymmetric active site of the type‐3 copper enzyme tyrosinase the “doubly asymmetric” binucleating ligand 1‐[bis‐N,N‐(pyrid‐2‐ylmethyl)aminomethyl]‐3‐[N‐(pyrid‐2‐ylmethyl)‐N‐(2‐pyrid‐2‐ylethyl)aminomethyl]benzene (“unsDMPA”) is synthesized and coordinated to copper(I). The O₂‐reactivity of the Cu^I(unsDMPA) complex and its analog derived from the symmetric counterpiece of unsDMPA, DMPA, is investigated. Oxygenation in methanol leads to dicopper(II) bis(μ‐hydroxo) and bis(μ‐methanolato) complexes; the dicopper(II) bis(μ‐hydroxo) complex of the unsDMPA ligand is chiral. Oxygenation in dichloromethane leads to oxidative N‐dealkylation. This is attributed to a tendency of DMPA and unsDMPA complexes to form dicopper bis(μ‐oxo) intermediates, as evidenced by DFT. The implications of these results with respect to the design of tyrosinase model systems are discussed.     

Reactions of Elemental Phosphorus with Electrophiles in Super Basic Systems: XVII. Phosphorylation of Arylalkenes with Active Modifications of Elemental Phosphorus

The example of the phosphorylation of styrene and 2-vinylnaphthalene with elemental phosphorus in the KOH-DMSO system at room or elevated temperature was used to show that the activated red phosphorus prepared from white phosphorus under ionizing radiation has a reactivity comparable with that of white phosphorus and significantly higher than that of ordinary technical red phosphorus.     

Kinetic study on reactions between polymer chain-ends. Coupling reactions of living polystyrene with chloro-ended polystyrene

The reaction of living polystyrene with chloro-ended polystrene was studied to examine “the kinetic excluded volume effect” on the intermolecular reaction between reactive chain-ends of two monodisperse polymers. The reaction of living polystyrene with 1-chloropentane was also studied as a model reaction (small molecule-polymer reaction). The second-order rate constants, k₂, for the polymer polymer reaction in benzene (with a small amount of tetrahydrofuran to break the association of living-ends) is independent of the degree of polymerization, DP, for the range of DP studied (up to 400). The ratios of the rate constants for the polymer-polymer and the polymer-small molecule reactions, k₂/k₂⁰, are the same in benzene and in cyclohexane (good and poor solvent for polystyrene respectively), showing that the effect of the coil expansion is not large enough to be detected. These results confirm the Flory basic concept that the reactivity of a functional group attached to an inert polymer is not affected by the presence of the polymer chain in activation-controlled reactions.     

Reactions of Elemental Phosphorus and Phosphine with Electrophiles in Superbasic Media: XI.1 Phosphorylation of 4-Methoxybenzyl Chloride with Elemental Phosphorus and Phosphine

4-Methoxybenzyl chloride reacts with elemental (red or white) phosphorus under the conditions of phase-transfer catalysis (concentrated aqueous KOH, dioxane, benzyltriethylammonium chloride, 85-90°C, argon) to give as major product tris(4-methoxybenzyl)phosphine oxide in up to 45% yield. With white phosphorus at lower (70°C) temperature this reaction yields mainly bis(4-methoxybenzyl)phosphine oxide. Phosphine reacts with 4-methoxybenzyl chloride in superbasic KOH-DMSO suspension, and under definite conditions bis(4-methoxybenzyl)phosphine oxide is predominantly formed.     

Interaction of dicyclopentadienyltitanium dichloride with bis(triethylgermyl)-cadmium and -mercury

The reaction of dicyclopentadienyltitanium dichloride with bis(triethylgermyl)mercury in benzene solution at 20° yields metallic mercury quantitatively, titanocene monochloride and triethylchlorogermane. The reaction of dicyclopentadienyltitanium dichloride with bis(triethylgermyl)cadmium leads to the formation of a complex of the following general composition: [Cp₂TiCl₂ - Cd(GeEt₃)₂]. The reactivity of this complex has been studied: in toluene solution at 20° it decomposes slowly to yield metallic cadmium, triethylchlorogermane and Cp₂TiCl(GeEt₃).     

The Phosphoenolpyruvate Phosphorylation: A Self-Organized Mechanism with Implications to Understand the RNA Transformations

In this article, we present a study about the non-enzymatic hydrolysis of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) by following the reaction course through ³¹P NMR spectroscopy. We have demonstrated that PEP in water exists mainly as a very stable cyclic pentacoordinate phosphorus compound in equilibrium with other cyclic forms. This explains the PEP stability in water. In contrast, after addition of an alcohol to a PEP aqueous solution, other very unstable cyclic pentacoordinated intermediates are formed, which immediately collapse, giving a feasible phosphorylation of the alcohol. It is known that cyclic pentacoordinated phosphorus intermediates are favored over the corresponding acyclic intermediates by a factor of 10⁶–10⁸, and this preference, found also in this study, might be the “driver mechanism” able to overcome the clutter of abiotic chemistry, thus permitting formation of pre-RNA molecules probably with a “self-organized process.”     

Reactions of phosphorus halides with urethane

By the reaction of phosphorus trichloride, thiophosphoryl chloride, phosphorus oxychloride and phosphorus pentachloride with urethane in stoichiometric ratio 1:1 or 1:2 in benzene, compounds of the type

and

(X = S, O or Cl; n = 1 or 2) have been synthesized. A probable mechanism for their formation has also been suggested.     

Sterically encumbered systems for two low-coordinate phosphorus centers

Tetraarylphenyls of the form 2,3,5,6-Ar4C6 (Ar = p-tert-butylphenyl) are investigated as sterically demanding ligands for the syntheses of compounds having two p-phenylene-bridged phosphorus centers. The precursor to such materials, 1,4-diiodo-2,3,5,6-tetrakis(p-tert-butylphenyl)benzene (1), is readily obtained via a one-pot procedure in 68% yield. Compound 1 is then used to provide the bis(dichlorophosphine) 1,4-bis(dichlorophosphino)-2,3,5,6-tetrakis(p-tert-butylphenyl)benzene (2) and the derived bis(phosphine) 1,4-bis(phosphino)-2,3,5,6-tetrakis(p-tert-butylphenyl)benzene (3) in yields of 56 and 94% respectively. These materials provide access to novel materials containing two low-coordinate phosphorus centers bridged by a sterically encumbered phenylene unit. Compound 2 reacts with benzaldehyde and 2,6-dichlorobenzaldehyde in the presence of excess trimethylphosphine and zinc to produce the new pale yellow crystalline bis(phosphaalkenes) (E,E)-PhC(H)=PAr4C6P=C(H)Ph (4a; 42%) and (E,E)-Ar'C(H)=PAr4C6P=C(H)Ar' (4b; 46%; Ar' = 2,6-dichlorophenyl). The crystal structure of 4a shows a P=C bond length of 1.676(5) A. Compound 2 is also used to provide the unusual red-orange bis(diphosphene) DmpP=PAr4C6P=PDmp (5; 55%; Dmp = 2,6-Mes2C6H3). Compound 5 is structurally characterized, and a P=P bond length of 2.008(2) A is ascertained.     

Efficient Cu(I) acetate‐catalyzed cycloaddition of multifunctional alkynes and azides: From solution to bulk polymerization

“Click” chemistry is an effective and commonly used technique in polymer chemistry for the synthesis and modification of polymers. In this study, the bulk polymerization of multifunctional alkynes and azides was achieved by the copper(I)‐catalyzed alkyne–azide 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition. The influence of different catalyst systems on the polymerization kinetics of the “click”reaction were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry. Surprisingly, Cu(I) acetate showed the most efficient catalytic behavior among the applied Cu(I) salts. The polymerization kinetics in solution were investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy and size exclusion chromatography. According to the 1H NMR investigation the copper(I)‐catalyzed cycloaddition follows a second‐order kinetics with external catalysis. Additionally, the mechanical properties of the resulting polymers were investigated by depth sensing indentation. Thereby the polymerizations of the alkyne tripropargylamine with the azides 1,3‐bis(azidomethyl)benzene and 1,4‐bis(azidomethyl)benzene resulted in mechanical hard materials. Furthermore, the combination of the alkynes tripropargylamine and di(prop‐2‐yn‐1‐yl) isophorone dicarbamate and polymerization with 1,2‐bis(2‐azidoethoxy)ethane resulted in high indentation moduli. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 239–247     

Reactivity Tracers of the Hydrolysis of Fe(II)‐Bis(salicylidene) Complexes: Initial–Transition States Analysis and Enhanced Impact of Tensides on the Kinetic Trends

The kinetics of the acid hydrolysis reaction of Fe(II)‐bis(salicylidene) complexes were followed under pseudo–first‐order conditions ([H⁺] >> [complex]) at 298 K. The ligands of the studied azomethine complexes were derived from the condensation of salicylaldehyde with different five α‐amino acids. The hydrolysis reactions were studied in acidic medium at different ratios (v/v) of aqua–organic mixtures. The decrease in the dielectric constant values of the reaction mixture enhances the reactivity of the reaction. The transfer chemical potentials of the initial and transition states (IS–TS) from water into mixed solvents were determined from the solubility measurements combined with the kinetic data. Nonlinear plots of logk_obs versus 1/D (the reciprocal of the dielectric constant) suggest the influence of the solvation of IS–TS on the reaction reactivity. Furthermore, the acid hydrolysis reactions were screened in the presence of different concentrations of cationic and anionic tensides. The addition of surfactants to the reaction mixture accelerates the reaction reactivity. The obtained kinetic data were used to determine the values of δ_mΔG^# (the change in the activation barrier) for the studied complexes when transferred from “water to various ratios (v/v) of water–co‐organic binary mixtures” and from “water to water containing different [surfactant].” It was found that the reactivity of the acid hydrolysis reaction was controlled by the hydrophobicity of the studied chelates.     

Computational insight into the Rh-mediated activation of white phosphorus

Density functional calculations on the reaction of white phosphorus with the ligand bis(diphenylphosphino)methyl (dppm) at a rhodium center are presented. The cationic transition metal fragment can react as a nucleophilic as well as an electrophilic species, driven by a simple twisting of the four-membered rings. As a consequence of the conformational controlled philicity, the insertion reaction into white phosphorus occurs with a small energy barrier. The white phosphorus tetrahedron can be chelated by two cationic transition metal fragments into an opened bicyclobutane moiety, strongly stabilized by π-stacking interactions of the phenyl groups at the two transition metal fragments. It causes a 2:1 coordination; in the first stage of the reaction two molecules of the fragment add to one molecule of white phosphorus. The resulting dicationic complex easily undergoes dissociation into a cationic monoaddition product plus one cationic transition metal fragment. The ring expansion reaction of one ligand is explained by a j-step mechanism in one intermediary product. One ligand of the transition metal fragment dissociates and facilitates, by a cascade of low-energy processes, the rearrangement of the P(4)-moiety. Under bipyramid formation a PP-bond is broken, and the free ligand finally attaches to one phosphorus atom. Overall the reaction can be divided in low-energy processes, which pass through different unstable intermediates and more high-energy processes, requiring ligand dissociation.     

Reactions of Elemental Phosphorus and Phosphine with Electrophiles in Superbasic Systems: XV. Phosphorylation of Allyl Halides with Elemental Phosphorus

Elemental phosphorus (red or white) reacts with allyl chloride and allyl bromide in a two-phase system aqueous KOH-organic solvent to form tertiary symmetrical and mixed phosphine oxides among which tris(prop-2-enyl)-, bis(prop-2-enyl)[(E)-prop-1-enyl]-, bis(prop-2-enyl)[(Z)-prop-1-enyl]-, (prop-2-enyl)[(E)-prop-1-enyl][(Z)-prop-1-enyl]-, bis[(E)-prop-1-enyl](prop-2-enyl)-, bis[(Z)-prop-1-enyl](prop-2-enyl)-, tris-[(E)-prop-1-enyl]-, and bis[(E)-prop-1-enyl][(Z)-prop-1-enyl]phosphine oxides were identified. The conditions (room temperature, 60% aqueous KOH-dioxane) allowing preparation from white phosphorus and allyl bromide of tris(prop-2-enyl)- and bis(prop-2-enyl)[(E)-prop-1-enyl]phosphine oxides as major products in the total yield of up to 96% were found.     

Isomerization and Cleavage of Allyl Ethers of Carbohydrates by Trans- [Pd(NH3)2Cl2

Allyl ethers are widely used for the “temporary” protection of hydroxy groups in carbohydrates. The allyl group is conveniently removed by isomerization and subsequent cleavage of the labile prop-1-enyl group.² The rearrangement of allyl ethers to prop-1-enyl ethers is readily achieved by treatment with potassium t-butoxide in dimethyl sulfoxide, using tris(tripheny1phosphine)rhodium chloride, palladium on activated charcoal and by an ene reaction with diethylazodicarboxylate. acidic conditions, ozonolysis followed by alkaline hydrolysis, reaction with alkaline permanganate solution, or treatment with mercuric chloride in the presence of mercuric oxide. The isomerization of allyl ethers to prop-1-enyl ethers can also be carried out in the presence of palladium on carbon or complex bis(benzonitrile)palladium(11) chloride. Bruce and Roshan-Ali' showed that derivatives of allyl phenyl ether are smoothly cleaved by this complex. This has made it possible to remove the protecting group in a one-pot operation. We have now investigated the effect of palladium catalysts on the isomerization and cleavage of the allyl group in carbohydrate derivatives.     

Activation and transformation of white phosphorus by palladium(<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">ii</Emphasis>) complexes

A reaction of bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium dibromide with white phosphorus in the presence of NaBPh₄ selectively gives phosphorous acid H₃PO₃. The mechanism of the formation involves coordination of a white phosphorus molecule, ligand exchange, and hydrolysis of the coordinated P₄ molecule in the coordination sphere of palladium.     

Theoretical investigations of the electronic states of porphyrins. II. Normal and hyper phosphorus porphyrins

Ab initio methods have been used to calculate the ground and excited states of “normal” and “hyper” porphyrins. Perturbation theory and CI methods were used to determine differential ground and excited-state correlation effects for [P^v(P)F₂]⁺ and [P^III(P)]⁺. A comparison is made to the INDO /S /CI predicted wavefunctions and spectra and to the experimental spectra of closely related molecules. The “hyper” [P^III(P)]⁺ calculations show some very low energy electronic transitions which provide an explanation for an anomalous “red” band in the spectrum and for the lack of fluorescence. Ab initio calculations also predict that (1) the lowest energy ¹A₁ state is a two-configuration wavefunction which can be described as a diradical, (2) the two lowest-energy singlet excited states are double excitations from the closed shell SCF configuration, and (3) a ³B₂ state is very close in energy to the lowest ¹A₁ state.     

Formation of palladium phosphides in the reaction of bis(dibenzylideneacetone)palladium(0) with white phosphorus

The reaction of bis(dibenzylideneacetone)palladium(0) with white phosphorus was studied using the methods of NMR, UV spectroscopy, and X-ray powder diffraction. The products of the reaction are shown to be palladium phosphides, their composition depending on the ratio of the reagents. The mechanism of the formation of the palladium-enriched phosphides is suggested, which includes the formation of palladium diphosphide PdP₂ that subsequently reacts with the excess of bis(dibenzylideneacetone)palladium(0) leading to palladium phosphides Pd₅P₂, Pd₃P_0.8, Pd_4.8P, and free dibenzylideneacetone.     

Studies on the oxidation of red phosphorus by potassium permanganate in an acid medium

Summary Oxidation of red phosphorus by an acid solution of potassium permanganate has been studied and applied in the volumetric determination of red phosphorus. The kinetics of the oxidation-reduction process show that the reaction is of the bimolecular order. Influence of temperature on the velocity coefficient (K) as also the variation of (K) for different concentrations of the oxidant, observed, have been made use of in evaluating the activation energy of the reaction. Further the utilisability of this simple procedure for the volumetric determination of red phosphorus is emphasized.The nature of the above oxidation reaction in an alkaline medium is being investigated.Sincere thanks of the authors are due to Prof. S S. Joshi, for facilities and kind interest in the work.