Synthesis, Structure and Reactivities of Pentacoordinated Phosphorus–Boron Bonded Compounds

The isolation and reactivities of two pentacoordinated
phosphorus–tetracoordinated boron bonded compounds were explored. A strong Lewis acidic boron reagent and electronwithdrawing ligand system were required to form the pentacoordinated phosphorus state of the P–B bond. The first compound, a phosphoranyl-trihydroborate, gave a THF stabilised phosphoranyl-borane intermediate upon a single hydride abstraction in THF. This compound could undergo a unique rearrangement reaction, which involved a two-fold ring expansion, to give a fused bicyclic compound or it could act as a mono-hydroboration reagent. The hydroboration reactivity of the intermediate was found to be more reactive towards alkynes over alkenes with good to moderate regioselectivity towards the terminal carbon. The second compound, a phosphoranyl-triarylborate, was found to have different reactivity as it was highly stable towards acids and bases. This is thought to be due to the large bulk around the P–B bond as shown in the crystal structure.