The reaction of active and stabilized phosphonium ylides with α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds [1]

The active ketenylidene-(2a) or thioketenylidenetriphenylphosphoranes (2b) react with 2-benzylidene-1,3-indandione (1), 5-benzylidenebarbituric acid (11), and 4-benzylidene-1,2-diphenyl-3,5-pyrazolidinedione (16) to give the corresponding pyranones and thioxopyranones (3a,b, 12a,b) and (17a,b), respectively. On the other hand, compounds 1 and 11 can be converted by reaction with the stabilized alkylidenephosphoranes 4a–e into the phosphoranylidenes 6a–e and 13a–e. Moreover, the oxaphosphinins 8 or 14 and the oxazaphosphinins 10 or 15 were obtained when compounds 1 and 11 were allowed to react with the phosphorane 7 and the iminophosphorane 9, respectively. Some of these new organophosphorus compounds are found to have insecticidal and molluscicidal properties against cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis larvae and Biomphalaria alexandrina snails. © 1997 John Wiley, & Sons, Inc.