Sulfides phosphine, reduction

Tris(trimethylsilyl)silane reacts with phosphine sulfides and phosphine selen-ides under free radical conditions to give the corresponding phosphines or, after treatment with BH3-THF, the corresponding phosphine-borane complex in good to excellent yields (Reaction 4.45) [82]. Stereochemical studies on P-chiral phosphine sulphides showed that these reductions proceed with retention of configuration. An example is given in Reaction (4.46). 

The synthesis uses Evans chemistry to introduce enantioselectively an azide group, which is then reduced to the a-amino group (Scheme 16). Note that in all cases, the phosphinyl group is protected as its sulfide during the synthesis to avoid complication (oxidation) observed with the phosphine. The phosphine sulfide is compatible with Fmoc- and Boc-peptide synthesis conditions. The free phosphine can later be regenerated by treating the sulfide with Raney nickel in MeOH (as shown in Scheme 15) or by methylation followed by treatment with HMPTJ50 This reduction was even applied successfully to sulfide-protected phosphine peptides still attached to the solid support.151 ... 

An additional approach toward the preparation of tertiary phosphines is by the reduction of more highly coordinated phosphorus species, particularly phosphine oxides [0=PR3] and phosphine sulfides [S=PR3] (see Section 5.2), but also phosphonium salts [ILtP+X"] and quasiphosphonium salts [R3P-YR +X ] (see Sections 4.2 and 4.4). Numerous reducing agents have been used to accomplish these conversions, including hexachlorodisilane [CbSi-SiCft], trichlorosilane [HSiCft], phenylsilane [PhSiHs], and lithium aluminum hydride [LiAlH4]. 

The mechanism of disulfide reduction by phosphines is hypothesized to involve a stable intermediate containing a sulphur-phosphorous bond (6). Beta elimination would yield the phosphine sulfide and dehydroalanine. The formation of relatively stable adducts between cystine-containing peptides and the reagent was confirmed by mass spectrometry for several peptides with the major adduct representing one reagent molecule per cystine residue. 

On the other hand, the reduction of an optically active acyclic phosphine sulfide occurs stereospecifically and with retention of configuration.2... 

In order to prevent formation of the unwanted phosphine oxide, the usual synthetic procedure is to convert phosphine to phosphine sulfide, the deprotection by Raney nickel restoring the phosphine. However, such a treatment [50] appeared inappropriate for the reduction of a large number of ligands [51] then a new homogeneous reducing method was reported in which the sulfide-containing peptides remain attached to the polymer on which they are synthesized [52]. Phosphine sulfide is methylated by trifluoromethanesulfonate to give the phosphonium... 

The existence of reduced volatile phosphorus compounds in aquatic systems has been in question for several decades (Morton and Edwards, 2005). Similar to nitrate reduction to ammonia (dissimi-latory nitrate reduction, see Chapter 8) and sulfate reduction to sulfide, thermodynamic reduction of phosphate to phosphine is possible. Under highly anaerobic conditions, phosphate (oxidation number of +5) can be reduced by obligate anaerobes to phosphine (oxidation number of-3). 

Thermolysis of these complexes does not induce simple reductive elimination of the arenethiolato and hydrido ligands, but gives a mixture of arene, aryl sulhde, and phosphine sulfide. 

Many phosphine sulfides are known but their use in P-stereogenic chemistry has been rather limited until recently. They are easily prepared by reaction of phosphines with elemental sulfur, a step which proceeds with retention of configuration. Hexachlorodisilane and Raney nickel have been formd to be stereoselective reagents for desulfurisation of phosphine sulfides. Some examples of reductions are collected in Table 1.5. 

Table 1.5 Examples of successful reductions of phosphine sulfides.

Recently, the cyclic phosphazene [Q2PN]3 has been reduced at one phosphorus center using sodium metal in the presence of IPr to form the structurally characterized carbene adduct. The ring system features two P(V) centers and one P(III) center, which is stabilized by the carbene (Figure 15.45). The other phosphorus centers did not undergo reduction under these conditions. The new iminophosphine-phosphazene heterocycle underwent oxidation with sulfur at the P(III) center to generate a phosphine sulfide, also NHC-stabilized. A BH3 adduct of the heterocycle was also prepared, but X-ray quality crystals were not obtained [257]. 

Diacyl peroxides have been reduced with a variety of reduciag agents, eg, lithium aluminum hydride, sulfides, phosphites, phosphines, and haUde ions (187). Hahdes yield carboxyUc acid salts (RO) gives acid anhydrides. With iodide ion and certain trivalent phosphoms compounds, the reductions are sufftcientiy quantitative for analytical purposes. 

Kurosawa et al. have reported that the relative stability of the ti-allyl palladium thi-olate 39 and the allyl sulfide/Pd(0) was highly ligand dependent. In the presence of PPhs or P(OMe)3 the stability was in favor of reductive elimination (Eq. 7.28), while in the presence of olefin or in the absence of any additional ligand the stability was in favor of oxidative addition (Eq. 7.29) [38]. This can explain the reactivity of the n-allyl palladium thiolate 33 and 38 proposed in Eq. (7.24) and path (c) of Scheme 7-10. The complex 33 should react with PhSH, but C-S bond-forming reductive elimination has to be suppressed in order to obtain the desired product 32. On the other hand, the complex 38 requires the phosphine ligand to promote the C-S bond-forming reductive elimination. 

As a safer alternative to digestion of vegetable matter with perchloric acid, alkaline oxidation of sulfur compounds to sulfate by sodium hypobromite, and reduction of sulfate to hydrogen sulfide by hydriodic acid/formaldehyde/phosphinic acid is recommended. 

The beneficial effect of added phosphine on the chemo- and stereoselectivity of the Sn2 substitution of propargyl oxiranes is demonstrated in the reaction of substrate 27 with lithium dimethylcyanocuprate in diethyl ether (Scheme 2.9). In the absence of the phosphine ligand, reduction of the substrate prevailed and attempts to shift the product ratio in favor of 29 by addition of methyl iodide (which should alkylate the presumable intermediate 24 [8k]) had almost no effect. In contrast, the desired substitution product 29 was formed with good chemo- and anti-stereoselectivity when tri-n-butylphosphine was present in the reaction mixture [25, 31]. Interestingly, this effect is strongly solvent dependent, since a complex product mixture was formed when THF was used instead of diethyl ether. With sulfur-containing copper sources such as copper bromide-dimethyl sulfide complex or copper 2-thiophenecarboxylate, however, addition of the phosphine caused the opposite effect, i.e. exclusive formation of the reduced allene 28. Hence the course and outcome of the SN2 substitution show a rather complex dependence on the reaction partners and conditions, which needs to be further elucidated. 

Cyclododecene may be prepared from 1,5,9-cyclododecatriene by the catalytic reduction with Raney nickel and hydrogen diluted with nitrogen, with nickel sulfide on alumina, with cobalt, iron, or nickel in the presence of thiophene, with palladium on charcoal, with palladimn chloride in the presence of water, with palladium on barium sulfate, with cobalt acetate in the presence of cobalt carbonyl, and with cobalt carbonyl and tri- -butyl phosphine. It may also be obtained from the triene by reduction with lithium and ethylamine, by disproportionation, - by epoxidation followed by isomerization to a ketone and WoliT-Kishner reduction, and from cyclododecanone by the reaction of its hydrazone with sodium hydride. ... 

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