Phosphoranes Vinylphosphoranes

Phenylcyclopent[c]azcpine (33a) and 6,7-fused cyclopentazepines 33b-d are formed in moderate yields in a one-pot, two-stage process involving initial condensation of triphenyl-[(l-phenylvinyl)imino]phosphoranes 32 with 6-(dimethylamino)fulvene-2-carbaldehyde (30), followed by an intramolecular aza-Wittig reaction of the iminophosphorane with the pendant aldehyde function.5 The method fails with the unsubstituted vinylphosphorane 32 (R1 = R2 = H). 

Scheme 43 shows the details of the different steps involved in the equilibrium. The nucleophilic attack of the P(III) derivative on the acetylenic bond yields a 1,3-dipole which, after a fast protonation, frees aZ ion. If the subsequent addition of this ion occurs on the P atom (reaction a), a P(V) phosphorane is formed, but the addition of Z on the ethylenic C atom (reaction b) results in the formation of an ylide. Both of these reactions occur under kinetic control and, in both cases, X is always an OR group from the initial acetylene dicarboxylic ester. When the acetylenic compound is a diketone and X is an alkyl or aryl moiety, the C=0 group is much more electrophilic and the attack by the Z ion produces an alcoholate (reaction c), a new intermediate which can cyclize on to the P+ to form a phosphorane, or attack the a-C atom to form an ylide as in Scheme 42. Hence, reactions a and c can coexist, and are strongly dependent on the nature of the trapping reagent and of the P compound, but reaction b is blocked, whatever the reagent. This is well illustrated by the reaction of the 2-methoxytetramethylphospholane 147 on diben-zoylacetylene in the presence of methanol as trapping reagent. The proportions of the vinylphosphorane 157 and spirophosphorane 158 formed (Figure 24) are 13% and 84%, respectively.

The perfluorinated vinylphosphoranes were not isolated, but nevertheless are valuable intermediates in the selective synthesis of alkenes having fluoromethylene groups. Hexafluoropropene (5) was converted into (A )-l, 2,3,3,3-pentafluoroprop-l-ene (9) via the phosphorane 8 in very good yield. 

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