Selective dehydrocoupling of phosphines by lithium chloride carbenoids.

The development of a simple, transition-metal-free approach for the formation of phosphorus-phosphorus bonds through dehydrocoupling of phosphines is presented. The reaction is mediated by electronically stabilized lithium chloride carbenoids and affords a variety of different diphosphines under mild reaction conditions. The developed protocol is simple and highly efficient and allows the isolation of novel functionalized diphosphines in high yields.