Effects of substituents on the stabilities of phosphonyl radicals and their hydroxyphosphinyl tautomers.

High-level ab initio quantum chemical methods have been used to calculate the radical stabilization energies (RSEs) of phosphonyl radicals XYP(=O)* bearing a range of substituents X and Y. The main influences on these radicals' stabilities are sigma-effects. Due to the high positive charge on phosphorus, sigma-withdrawal is destabilizing, and sigma-donation is stabilizing. The pyramidal geometry at phosphorus minimizes the effect of stabilization by pi-delocalization, while the potentially stabilizing effect of lone-pair donation is outweighed by concomitant sigma-withdrawal. Thus, the calculated RSEs of phosphonyl radicals XHP(=O)* increase in the order X = F < Me(3)N+ < MeO < CF3 < tBu < Me(2)N < NC < H < Ph < MeS < Me(3)Si. The tautomeric hydroxyphosphinyl radicals X(OH)P. exhibit a different set of substituent effects, with RSEs increasing in the order X = CF3 < Me(2)N < Me(3)N+ < MeO < (t)Bu < H < MeS < Me(3)Si < F < NC < Ph. In these radicals, both the sigma- and pi-properties of the X substituent influence stability, in tandem with those of the OH group. A comparison of the absolute enthalpies of isomeric phosphonyl and hydroxyphosphinyl radicals indicates that the hydroxyphosphinyl radicals X(OH)P* are more stable than the phosphonyl radicals XYP(=O)*. This is not a common situation in phosphorus chemistry. It is primarily attributed to the greater phosphorus p character of the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) in the hydroxyphosphinyl radicals compared with the phosphonyl tautomers. As in closed-shell phosphorus species, the magnitude of the effect is modulated by the electronegativity of the substituent X.