Facile Synthetic Methods for the Diversification of Catena-Polyphosphorus Cations†
We thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Killam Foundation, the Canada Research Chairs Program, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust Fund, and the Walter C. Sumner Memorial Fellowship for funding; the Atlantic Region Magnetic Resonance Centre for use of instrumentation; Dr. M. Lumsden for assistance with the NMR spectroscopic data; and Dr. P. J. Ragogna and D. E. Herbert for preliminary experimental observations.
Graphical Abstract
A limited number and variety of polyphosphorus cations exist in comparison to their neutral (polyphosphines) and anionic (polyphosphides) counterparts. A general and facile method has now been developed for the preparation of phosphinophosphonium, diphosphinophosphonium, and cyclotetraphosphinophosphonium cations from polyphosphines. Furthermore, the stability of the cyclopentaphosphorus ring is emphasized (see crystal structure of [Ph6P5]+).