Phosphorus—carbon bonds lithium metal

Although metalation of aliphatic carbon attached to phosphorus is well documented (85,173), only recently has it been noted that the carbon-phosphorus bond in triphenylphosphine oxide can be cleaved with an equimolar amount of methyllithium at room temperature (185). Indeed, benzene is produced along with a new lithium reagent which, when hydrolyzed, gives diphenylmethylphosphine oxide in high yield (83.5%). 

Metallocarboranes interact with phosphines to form various types of complex in which the phosphorus atoms are bonded to the carbon atoms. One example is provided by the lithium derivative of BiqHio 2CH, which can give compounds according to scheme (9.117). These products include metal-coordination complexes with metal carbonyls and highly polymeric materials with molecular weights up to 10,000. The structure of the dimer chloride in Equation 9.117 is indicated in Figure 9.5. 

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