title: Singlet (Phosphino)phosphinidenes are Electrophilic.
abstract: A room-temperature stable (phosphino)-phosphinidene reacts with carbon monoxide, stable singlet carbenes, including the poor π-accepting imidazol-2-ylidene, and phosphines giving rise to the corresponding phosphaketene, phosphinidene-carbene and phosphinidene-phosphine adducts, respectively. Whereas the electronic ground-state calculations indicate a PP multiple bond character in which the terminal phosphorus is negatively charged, the observed reactivity clearly indicates that (phosphino)phosphinidenes are electrophilic as expected for an electron-deficient species. This is further demonstrated by competition experiments as well as by the results of Fukui function calculations.
authors.affiliation: UCSD-CNRS Joint Research Laboratory (UMI 3555), Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego , La Jolla, California 92093-0358, United States.
authors.forename: Max M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Hansmann
authors.affiliation: UCSD-CNRS Joint Research Laboratory (UMI 3555), Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego , La Jolla, California 92093-0358, United States.
authors.forename: Rodolphe
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jazzar
authors.affiliation: UCSD-CNRS Joint Research Laboratory (UMI 3555), Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego , La Jolla, California 92093-0358, United States.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bertrand