A bis(silylene)-stabilized diphosphorus compound and its reactivity as a monophosphorus anion transfer reagent.

In contrast to the well-established transition-metal-mediated activation of white phosphorus (P4), the metal-free direct functionalization of P4 has remained rare. The conversion of P4 into a reactive zero-valent diphosphorus compound (P2) has proven challenging to carry out without relying on metal reactivity. Herein, we describe the facile degradation of P4 mediated by two divalent silicon atoms in a bis(silylene) scaffold, resulting in a silylene-stabilized zero-valent P2 complex. The presence of two lone pairs of electrons on each P atom in the silylene-stabilized P2 complex enables a rich reactivity towards small molecules; reaction of the P2 species with CO2, water or a borane leads to the formation of P-C, P-H or P-B bonds, respectively. Notably, the P2 complex also serves as a single phosphorus anion (P-) transfer reagent towards metal carbonyls and a chlorogermylene compound, leading to the synthetically valuable phosphaketenide (PCO-) ligand and a phosphinidene germylene complex, respectively.