Leaving group effect phosphine oxides

Iodination reagents combined with aryl phosphines and imidazole can also effect reductive conversion of diols to alkenes. One such combination is 2,4,5-triiodoimidazole, imidazole, and triphenylphosphine.215 These reagent combinations are believed to give oxyphosphonium intermediates which then serve as leaving groups, forming triphenylphosphine oxide as in the Mitsunobu reaction (see Section 3.2.4). The iodide serves as both a... 

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