Hydroxylated HMPA enhances both reduction potential and proton donation in SmI₂ reactions.

HMPA is known to increase the reduction potential of SmI2. However, in many cases, the transferred electron returns from the radical anion of the substrate back to the Sm(3+). This could be avoided by an efficient trapping of the radical anion: e.g., by protonation. However, bimolecular protonation by a proton donor from the bulk may be too slow to compete with the back electron transfer process. An efficient unimolecular protonation could be achieved by using a proton donor which complexes to SmI2, in which case the proton is unimolecularly transferred within the ion pair. A derivative of HMPA in which one of the methyl groups was substituted by a CH2CH2OH unit was synthesized. Cyclic voltammetry studies have shown that it resembles HMPA in its ability to enhance the reduction potential of SmI2, and reactivity studies show that it has also efficient proton shift capabilities. The various aspects of this additive were examined in the reactions of SmI2 with three substrates: benzyl chloride, methyl cinnamate, and anthracene.