Imino-bridged bisphosphaalkenes (2,4-diphospha-3-azapentadienes).

Deprotonation of aminophosphaalkenes (RMe(2)Si)(2)C=PN(H)(R') (R=Me, iPr; R'=tBu, 1-adamantyl (1-Ada), 2,4,6-tBu(3)C(6)H(2) (Mes*)) followed by reactions of the corresponding Li salts Li[(RMe(2)Si)(2)C=P(M)(R')] with one equivalent of the corresponding P-chlorophosphaalkenes (RMe(2)Si)(2)C=PCl provides bisphosphaalkenes (2,4-diphospha-3-azapentadienes) [(RMe(2)Si)(2)C=P](2)NR'. The thermally unstable tert-butyliminobisphosphaalkene [(Me(3)Si)(2)C=P](2)NtBu (4 a) undergoes isomerisation reactions by Me(3)Si-group migration that lead to mixtures of four-membered heterocyles, but in the presence of an excess amount of (Me(3)Si)(2)C=PCl, 4 a furnishes an azatriphosphabicyclohexene C(3)(SiMe(3))(5)P(3)NtBu (5) that gave red single crystals. Compound 5 contains a diphosphirane ring condensed with an azatriphospholene system that exhibits an endocylic P=C double bond and an exocyclic ylidic P((+))-C((-))(SiMe(3))(2) unit. Using the bulkier iPrMe(2)Si substituents at three-coordinated carbon leads to slightly enhanced thermal stability of 2,4-diphospha-3-azapentadienes [(iPrMe(2)Si)(2)C=P](2)NR' (R'=tBu: 4 b; R'=1-Ada: 8). According to a low-temperature crystal-structure determination, 8 adopts a non-planar structure with two distinctly differently oriented P=C sites, but (31)P NMR spectra in solution exhibit singlet signals. (31)P NMR spectra also reveal that bulky Mes* groups (Mes*=2,4,6-tBu(3)C(6)H(2)) at the central imino function lead to mixtures of symmetric and unsymmetric rotamers, thus implying hindered rotation around the P-N bonds in persistent compounds [(RMe(2)Si)(2)C=P](2)NMes* (11 a, 11 b). DFT calculations for the parent molecule [(H(3)Si)(2)C=P](2)NCH(3) suggest that the non-planar distortion of compound 8 will have steric grounds.