The autoxidation and proton dissociation constants of tertiary diphosphines: relevance to biological activity

The pKas and autoxidation properties of a number of diphosphines which exhibit varying degrees of antitumor and cytotoxic activity were investigated. Titration by HClO4 in CH3NO2 was used to determine pKas of the following diphosphines: R2P(CH2)nPR'2, where for R = R' = Ph, n = 1, 2, and 3 (dppm, dppe, and dppp respectively); for R = R' = Et, n = 2 (depe); for R = Ph, R' = Et, n = 2 (eppe); and for cis and trans Ph2PCH = CHPPh2 (dppey). The difference between the first and second protonation constants decreases as the length of the carbon chain between the two phosphorus centers increases. Unsaturation in the carbon chain lowers pKas. -PEt2 centers are apparently more basic than -PPh2 centers. Apart from electrostatic effects, the protonation of a given phosphine center appears to be independent of the substituents at the second phosphine center. The autoxidation reactions of dppm, dppe, dppp, depe, and cis-dppey were studied in a variety of solvents by 31P NMR spectroscopy. The ethyl-substituted diphosphines were much more rapidly oxidized than the phenyl-substituted, and the pathways of autoxidation differed. Generally, the phenyl-substituted diphosphines gave only mono- and dioxides, while the ethyl-substituted diphosphines additionally gave phosphinites and other oxidation products. The relevance of the autoxidation reactivity and the pKas to the contrasting antitumor activity of these diphosphines is discussed.