E-(hydroxyimino)(hydroxymethoxyphosphinyl)acetic acid: Synthesis and pH-dependent fragmentation

In contrast to both its parent “troika” acid (E-1, a phosphorylating agent at pH 7 and 25 °C) and its C-methyl isomer (E-2, which is stable at both acidic and neutral pH), (E)-(hydroxyimino)(hydroxymethoxyphosphinyl)acetic acid E-3 was unreactive at pH 7 and 25 °C but at pH 1.5 fragmented to methyl phosphate 10 (15%) and methyl phosphorocyanidate 11 (85%). The minor product is consistent with solvent phosphorylalion, the reaction exclusively observed with E-1. The non-phosphorylating fragmentation pathway is proposed to involve a preliminary E→ Z isomerizalion of 3 prior to C-C_β cleavage. Dual fragmentation pathways were also detected (³¹P NMR) when the DCHA⁺ salt of E-3 (E-9) was heated in acetonitrile or EtOH; in addition to phosphorylation products (16–19%), 11 was formed (81–84%). Reaction of E-9 in refluxing EtOH:t-BuOH (1:1) showed low stereoselectivity in product formation (~3:1 ethyl methyl phosphate:t-butyl methyl phosphate), supporting a dissociative phosphorylation process.