Reactivity of a 1,3,2‐diazaphosphinine toward propargyl‐phosphine derivatives and activated alkenes

2,5‐Diphenylphosphole and diphenylphosphino derivatives 2, 3 of 1‐phenylpropargyl were prepared by reacting the corresponding diphenylphosphinolithium and 2,5‐diphospholyl lithium salts with (3‐bromo‐prop‐1‐ynyl)‐benzene in THF at low temperature. Sulfurization of these propargyl derivatives was then carried out with elemental sulfur in toluene at 90°C to yield the corresponding phosphole 8 and phosphino 9 derivatives. Reaction of 3,5‐di‐tert‐butyl‐1,3,2‐diazaphosphinine 1 with the free phosphole derivative led to a mixture of diazaphosphinines 4 and 5 that were converted to the corresponding phosphinines 6 and 7 upon treatment with trimethylsilylacetylene in excess. Reaction of 1 with 1‐phenylpropargyl derivatives of diphenylphosphine 8 and phosphole 9 afforded 7,8‐dihydro‐1‐phospha‐2,6‐diazabarrelenes 10 and 11 having an exocyclic double bond. Formation of these compounds results from a (1,3)‐shift of a hydrogen atom from the methylene carbon atom to the bridge of the barrelene moiety. Depending on the nature of the phosphine group, the sulfur atom can also be displaced to the P atom of the barrelene moiety. The X‐ray structure of the phosphole derivative 10 was recorded. Three 6,7‐dihydro‐1‐phospha‐2,6‐diazabarrelenes bearing two ( 16 ) or one ester ( 17a,b ), or one cyano group ( 18a,b ) on the bridge were also synthesized through the reaction of 1 with ethyl acrylate, dimethyl fumarate, and acrylonitrile. The X‐ray structure of the cyano derivative 18a is also presented. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 14:326–333, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.10152