Abstract: | Secondary phosphines react readily with a vinyl ether of diacetone-d-glucose under radical initiation conditions to give, in high yield, anti-Markovnikov adducts, diorganyl{2-3-O-(1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene)-d-glucofuranosyloxy]ethyl}phosphines, which oxidize almost quantitatively upon reacting with air oxygen or elemental sulfur to form the corresponding optically active phosphine oxides or sulfides. |