Four-coordinate phosphinidene complexes of titanium prepared by alpha-H-migration: phospha-Staudinger and phosphaalkene-insertion reactions.

alpha-Hydrogen migration in the phosphide (Nacnac)Ti=CHtBu(PHR) (Nacnac- = [Ar]NC(Me)CHC(Me)N[Ar], Ar = 2,6-iPr2C6H3, R = C6H11, 2,4,6-iPr3C6H2, 2,4,6-tBuC6H2), prepared from salt metathesis of (Nacnac)Ti=CHtBu(PHR) with LiPHR, generates terminal and four-coordinate phosphinidene complexes (Nacnac)Ti=PR(CH2tBu), one of which was structurally characterized (R = 2,4,6-tBu3C6H2). Phosphinidene intermediate (Nacnac)Ti=PR(CH2tBu) (R = C6H11, 2,4,6-iPr3C6H2) transform to ([Ar]NC(Me)CHC(Me)P[R][CH2tBu])Ti=NAr(OEt2) through "phospha-Staudinger" and subsequent phosphaalkene-insertion reactions.