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Updated: Mar 10, 2026

Author Spotlight: Experimental Approaches for the Synthesis of Low-Valent Metal-Organic Frameworks from Multitopic Phosphine Linkers
Published on: May 12, 2023
Transition-Metal-like Behavior of Main Group Elements: Ligand Exchange at a Phosphinidene
Max M Hansmann1, Guy Bertrand1
1UCSD-CNRS Joint Research Laboratory (UMI 3555), Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego , La Jolla, California 92093-0358, United States.
Abstract:
(Phosphino)phosphaketenes (>P-P═C═O) behave as (phosphino)phosphinidene-carbonyl adducts (>P-P←:C═O). CO scrambling was observed using 13C labeled CO, and exchange reactions with phosphines afford the corresponding (phosphino)phosphinidene-phosphine adducts (>P-P←:PR3). The latter react with isonitriles and singlet carbenes giving (phosphino)phosphinidene-isonitrile (>P-P←:CNR) and -carbene adducts (>P-P←:C<). Based on experimental results and DFT calculations, it is shown that these "ligand" exchange reactions occur via an associative mechanism as classically observed with transition metal complexes.
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