N-Borane-Substituted Cyclic Phosphine Imides (BCPIs)

17 February 2023, Version 1
This content is a preprint and has not undergone peer review at the time of posting.

Abstract

Phosphine imides are ubiquitous nucleophiles/Lewis bases in modern organic chemistry. The introduction of unexplored substituents on the phosphine imidoyl nitrogen and/or phosphorus atoms should facilitate the discovery of unprecedented utility for phosphine imides. Herein, we have designed and prepared a novel class of phosphine imides known as N-borane-substituted cyclic phosphine imides (BCPIs). Experimental and theoretical analyses of the electronic structure of BCPIs demonstrate the existence of substantial negative hyperconjugation between the nitrogen and the phosphorus atoms. Given a characteristic nucleophilic/Lewis basic reactivity of BCPIs, we represent the first experimental demonstration that a 5-oxazaphosphetane species is a key intermediate in the transformation of CO2 using phosphine imides. Moreover, although it has been previously considered unlikely, the spontaneous heterolysis of a BCl bond in a BCPI-coordinated chloroborane has been directly observed, suggesting that such process is a plausible key step in the Lewis acid-promoted generation of borenium species from chloroboranes. These results thus provide evidence of two species that have been missing in contemporary organic chemistry.

Keywords

Phosphine imides
Boron cations
CO2 transformation
Oxazaphosphetanes
Lewis bases

Supplementary materials

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Supporting Information
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