Attachment of a proton sponge to a phosphine ligand renders neutral complexes of the ligand highly amenable to analysis by electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The ligand 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthyldiphenylphosphine (3) is extremely efficient and highly selective in forming exclusively [M + H]+ ions, which may be detected at very low concentration. Ionisation efficiency of 3 i...

A novel Au(III)−OH complex featuring a N^N^N-pincer ligand is reported and analyzed with respect to its steric properties imparted onto Au O. In reactivity studies towards oxygen atom transfer (OAT) this displays no series of phosphines. The encumbrance sets example apart from the known examples (pincer) complexes implications for mechanism OAT Au−OH are discussed.

A versatile synthesis of 1,2,3-triazolyl-4-phosphines from the borane complexes of phosphino-alkynes is reported. The efficiency of the procedure relies on the use of readily available silyl-protected alkynylphosphine-boranes, which were subjected to desilylation with TBAF followed by copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne-cycloaddition in one pot. Subsequent treatment with DABCO afforded the targeted t...

In the hydrogenation of sluggish unactivated enamine substrates, Rh complexes of electron-deficient phosphines are demonstrated to be far more reactive catalysts than those derived from triphenylphosphine. These operate at low catalyst loadings (down to 0.01 mol %) and are able to reduce tetrasubstituted enamines. The use of the sustainable and environmentally benign solvent (R)-limonene for th...

In the presence of stoichiometric or catalytic amounts of [M{N(SiMe3 )2 }2 ] (M=Fe, Co), N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) react with primary phosphines to give a series of carbene phosphinidenes of the type (NHC)⋅PAr. The formation of (IMe4 )⋅PMes (Mes=mesityl) is also catalyzed by the phosphinidene-bridged complex [(IMe4 )2 Fe(μ-PMes)]2 , which provides evidence for metal-catalyzed phosphinidene...

Carbon–carbon cross-coupling reactions are very important in the areas of material science and medicinal chemistry. Most current methods require expensive transition-metal catalysts (for example, based on Cu, Pd, Co, Ni, Pt, Ru, and Rh) and ligands (for example, phosphines). Early reports by Kharasch and Reinmuth in 1954 and then by Tamura and Kochi in 1971 suggested that inexpensive Grignard r...

A solvent- and halogen-free synthesis of high purity triflate ionic liquids via direct alkylation of organic bases (amines, phosphines or heterocyclic compounds) with methyl and ethyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (methyl and ethyl triflate) has been developed. Cheap and non-toxic dimethyl and diethyl carbonate serve as source for the methyl and ethyl groups in the preparation of methyl and ethyl t...

A highly reactive Ag(I)-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of azomethine ylides is founded using AgOAc as the catalytic precursor and phosphines as ligands. Using a new bis-ferrocenyl amide phosphine (FAP) as the ligand, we found that high enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee) have been achieved in the [3 + 2] cycloaddition of azomethine ylides. Up to four stereogenic centers can be established in t...