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Updated: Mar 3, 2026

Synthesis and Exfoliation of Discotic Zirconium Phosphates to Obtain Colloidal Liquid Crystals
Published on: May 25, 2016
Insertion of sodium phosphaethynolate, Na[OCP], into a zirconium-benzyne complex
Jerod M Kieser1, Robert J Gilliard, Arnold L Rheingold
1Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, 2080 Adelbert Rd., Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA. protasiewicz@case.edu.
Abstract:
Reaction of the zirconium-benzyne complex [Cp2Zr(PMe3)(C6H4)] with sodium phosphaethynolate, Na[OCP], affords a zircono-phosphaalkene complex. Notably, unlike reactions of other transition metal complexes with Na[OCP] that yield the products of simple salt metathesis, this transformation represents novel Na[OCP] insertion chemistry and formation of an unusual solid state coordination polymer. The polymer is disrupted upon addition of Me3SiCl to afford a silyl-capped dimer that retains the zirconophosphaalkene functionality. Protonation of either form of zirconophosphaalkenes results in the formation of benzoylphosphine, PhC([double bond, length as m-dash]O)PH2.
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