Abstract
The reactivity of red phosphorus towards aldehydes was investigated under basic and acidic media. It was demonstrated that the real phosphorylating agent involved in the reaction was phosphane (PH3) in basic media, and hypophosphorous acid (H3PO2) in acidic media. A convenient one-pot synthesis of (α-hydroxyalkyl)phosphinic acids from red phosphorus and aldehydes in basic media was realized under sonication. The same reaction under acidic media in the presence of hydriodic acid led to the corresponding phosphonic acids. The (α-hydroxyalkyl)phosphinic acids were readily prepared under sonication from hypophosphorous acid and aldehydes in the presence of catalytic amounts of hydrochloric acid. The mechanism of the addition reaction of PH3 to benzaldehyde was elucidated and shows the complexity of the reaction as a function of the experimental conditions.
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