Validating the alkene and alkyne hydrophosphonylation as an entry to organophosphonates

The first paper on the hydrophosphonylation of terminal alkenes was published in 1958 by Stiles and co-workers. Afterwards various papers described organometal-catalyzed and free-radical reactions leading to linear anti-Markovnikov adducts and/or branched Markovnikov products. In 1996 Han and Tanaka reported the first example of alkyne hydrophosphonylation catalyzed by a palladium complex. Further studies using other metal catalysts registered poor selectivity as mixtures of adducts were obtained in most of the cases examined. The first example of alkyne hydrophosphonylation by H-phosphonates under free-radical conditions leading to Z- and E-vinylphosphonates in a 1 : 1 ratio was reported by our group. Nevertheless, Z- to E-isomerization took place upon irradiation in the presence of a thiol.