CARBENOID ROUTES TO SUBSTITUTED PHOSPHAALKENES AND PHOSPHABENZENES

Convenient syntheses of C-halogen-substituted phosphaalkenes and of 2-iodophosphabenzenes have been developed. Under certain conditions, the halogen in these compounds can be replaced by metals such as lithium or zinc. The resulting organometallics open in principle an entry to other functionalized derivatives. In the phosphaalkene series, examples of mercury arid Group 14 substitution are presented, as well as attempts to obtain phosphorus analogues of isocyanides. Phosphabenzenes have been substituted at the 2-position by elements from Groups 11, 12, 14 and 15.