Electrophilic phenoxy-substituted phosphonium cations.

A family of electrophilic phenoxy-substituted phosphonium salts [(RO)P(C6F5)3][B(C6F5)4] (R = C6H5, 4-FC6H4, 2,4-F2C6H3, C6F5) have been synthesized and their air stability was evaluated. Computations of the fluoride ion affinity and global electrophilicity index have been used to compare the electrophilicity of these phosphonium salts. The Lewis acidity of these phosphonium salts was probed computationally and experimentally in a Friedel-Crafts-type dimerization, hydrodefluorination, hydrosilylation, hydrodeoxygenation, and dehydrocoupling reactions.

Electrophilic phosphonium cations (EPCs) with perchlorinated-aryl substituents: towards air-stable phosphorus-based Lewis acid catalysts.

A series of phosphines incorporating (C6Cl5) substituents, Ph2P(C6Cl5) 1, PhP(C6Cl5)22, P(C6Cl5)33 and (C6F5)P(C6Cl5)24 were prepared. In the case of 1, 2 and 4, these were converted to the corresponding aryl-difluorophosphoranes 5-7via reaction with XeF2, whereas reaction of 3 with XeF2 afforded only an inseparable mixture of products. The compounds 5-7 were converted to the fluorophosphonium cations 8-10, whereas the reaction of 3 with Selectfluor afforded (C6Cl5)2POF and (C6Cl5)2. The fluorophosphonium salts showed evidence of improved air stability as well as Lewis acid catalytic activity in hydrodefluorination, hydrosilylation, deoxygenation and dehydrocoupling chemistry.

Hydrosilylation of ketones, imines and nitriles catalysed by electrophilic phosphonium cations: functional group selectivity and mechanistic considerations.

The electrophilic phosphonium salt, [(C6 F5 )3 PF][B(C6 F5 )4 ], catalyses the efficient hydrosilylation of ketones, imines and nitriles at room temperature. In the presence of this catalyst, adding one equivalent of hydrosilane to a nitrile yields a silylimine product, whereas adding a second equivalent produces the corresponding disilylamine. [(C6 F5 )3 PCl][B(C6 F5 )4 ] and [(C6 F5 )3 PBr][B(C6 F5 )4 ] are also synthesised and tested as catalysts. Competition experiments demonstrate that the reaction exhibits selectivity for the following functional groups in order of preference: ketone>nitrile>imine>olefin. Computational studies reveal the reaction mechanism to involve initial activation of the Si-H bond by its interaction with the phosphonium centre. The activated complex then acts cooperatively on the unsaturated substrate.