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Updated: Jun 22, 2025

Preparation and Use of Carbonyl-decorated Carbenes in the Activation of White Phosphorus
Published on: October 3, 2014
Carbamoylphosphinidene: A Phosphorus Analogue of Carbonyl Nitrene
Bo Lu1, Junjie Jiang1, Lina Wang1
1Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Fudan University, 200433 Shanghai, China.
Abstract:
Carbonyl nitrenes are versatile intermediates that have been extensively characterized; however, their phosphorus analogues remain largely unknown. Herein, we report the observation of a rare example of carbonyl phosphinidene NH2C(O)P, which was generated through the photolytic (193 nm) dehydrogenation of phosphinecarboxamide (NH2C(O)PH2) in a solid N2-matrix at 12 K. The characterization of NH2C(O)P in the triplet ground state with matrix-isolation IR and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy is supported by comprehensive isotope labeling experiments (D and 15N) and quantum chemical calculations. Upon visible-light irradiation at 680 nm, NH2C(O)P inserts into dihydrogen by the reformation of NH2C(O)PH2 with concomitant isomerization to the more stable aminophosphaketene (NH2PCO). Additionally, the photoisomerization of NH2C(O)PH2 to NH2C(OH) = PH along with decomposition by yielding hydrogen-bonded complexes HNCO···PH3 and HPCO···NH3 has been observed in the matrix.
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