Phosphole formation by 1,1-carboboration--reactions of bis-alkynyl phosphanes with a frustrated P/B Lewis pair.

The arylbis(phenylethynyl)phosphanes 1a,b (aryl = mesityl, 2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl) react with the frustrated P/B Lewis pair (P/B FLP) mes2PCH2CH2B(C6F5)2 (4) to give mixtures of three products; the major products, the phosphole systems 2a,b, are formed by a sequence of 1,1-carboboration reactions. One of the minor compounds (6a,b) is formed by 1,1-carboboration followed by internal 1,2-FLP addition to the remaining C ≡ C triple bond. The other minor compound of the product mixture (5a,b) is obtained by 1,2-FLP addition to one alkynyl moiety of the starting material. The products 5a, 6b and a derivative of the phosphole 2a (formed by FLP reaction with a terminal alkyne) were characterized by X-ray diffraction. The reaction of the arylbis(pentynyl)phosphanes 1c,d with the FLP 4 selectively gave the respective -B(C6F5)2/-CH2CH2-Pmes2 substituted phospholes 2c,d which were isolated as orange solids in high yields. Rapid strongly temperature dependent equilibration between open and closed PB FLP isomers was detected for both systems by NMR spectroscopy.