Selective heterolytic P-P bond cleavage of white phosphorus by a frustrated carbene-borane Lewis pair.

Frustrated carbene-borane Lewis pairs are able to affect the selective cleavage of one of the six P-P bonds in white phosphorus (P(4)) to afford an adduct, in which an abnormal carbene of the imidazolium-4-yl type and B(C(6)F(5))(3) are bound in a trans,trans fashion to a butterfly-like bicyclo[1.1.0]tetraphosphabutane moiety.