Facile [3+2] dimerization and formal dehydrogenative coupling mode of a cyanophenylphosphaallene

Due to a facile head-to-tail [3+2] dimerization, even a sterically demanding group such as the Mes∗ (2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl) group around the PCC moiety did not allow us to isolate 3-(4-cyanophenyl)-1-(2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl)-1-phosphaallene from the elimination reaction of 2-bromo-3-(4-cyanophenyl)-1-(2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl)-1-phosphaprop-1-ene with DBU (1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene), and the corresponding 1,4-diphosphafulvene containing cyano groups was obtained and characterized. Theoretical studies on the [3+2] dimerization of phosphaallene characterize possible intermediates affording 1,4-diphosphafulvenes and also suggest the cyano group effect to facilitate the saturation of the PC double bonds. On the other hand, 1,2-bis(4-cyanophenyl)-3,4-bis[(2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl)phosphinidene]cyclobutene was obtained from 2-bromo-3-(4-cyanophenyl)-3-trimethylsiloxy-1-(2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl)-1-phosphaprop-1-ene together with the 3-(4-cyanophenyl)-1-phosphaallene.