The Formation of Phosphacycloheptatrienes in Ring Enlargement Reaction

Abstract

The forrmation of substituted phosphacycloheptatrienes in ring expansion reaction(s) is describzd. From thc: reac-tion of 3,4-dimethyl-l-phenyl-3-phospholene-l-oxide(1,R¹ = c₆H₅, R₂=R₃ = CH₃) with dichlorocarbene under liquid-liquid phase transfer circumstances not the expected adduct but the appropriate phoshacycloheptatrisne (4, R_l, R₂,R₃ as above) was prepared. The formation of this product can be explained assuming two ring expansions effected by two series of dichlorocarbene addition and cyclopropane ring opening. In the similar reaction of the methoxy-phospholenc derivative (1, R¹=CH₃O, R² = R³ = CH3 four other products are also formed beside the phosphacyclohcptatriene. Again phosphacycloheptatrienes (4) are formed as the result of dichlorocarbene addition to the regioisoners of dihidrophosphorins (2) obtained from the phospholene-dichlorocarbene adducts by thermolysis. The same product can be derived from each regioisomeric pair.