Unsuccessful/successful attempts to produce penta(heteroaryl)-phosphoranes/-arsoranes R5E (E = P, As; R = 2-furyl, 2-thienyl).

Abstract

Tri(2-thienyl)phosphine (1) has been transformed into chlorotri(2-thienyl)phosphonium chloride (3) in the reaction with hexachloroethane, into tetra(2-thienyl)phosphonium bromide (4) in a NiBr2-catalyzed quaternization with 2-bromothiophene, and into the p-tolylsulfonyliminotri(2-thienyl)phosphorane (6) using "chloramine T". Attempts to generate the homoleptic penta(2-thienyl)phosphorane (2-C4H3S)5P (5) by treating 3, 4, 6 or the known (PhO)3P=NSO2C6H4-2-Me (9) with 2-thienyllithium were unsuccessful. Tri(2-furyl)phosphine (2) was converted into the related imine 7, but the reaction of 7 or of 9 with 2-furyllithium failed to give (2-C4H3O)5P (8). It was only with the strained phosphorane Ph(C12H8)P=NSO2C6H4-4-Me (C12H8= 2,2'-biphenylylene) (10) that with 2-C4H3OLi the corresponding phosphorane Ph(C12H8)P(C4H3O-2)2 (11) could be obtained (31P NMR: delta-106.7 ppm). In the arsenic series, tri(2-thienyl)- and tri(2-furyl)arsine (12, 13) were converted into the tosylimino compounds (14, 15) and successfully transformed into the homoleptic arsoranes with 2-C4H3E-Li: penta(2-thienyl)- (16) and penta(2-furyl)-arsorane (17) are stable colourless crystalline solids, the NMR spectra of which indicate rapid pseudo-rotation in solution. The single crystal structure analysis of 17 shows an only slightly distorted trigonal-bipyramidal configuration. In crystals of the phosphine 2 and the arsine 13 the molecules have a propeller configuration with approximate C3v symmetry for the former, but Cs symmetry for the latter. The crystal structures of the precursors or intermediates 3, 4, 6, 9, and 10 have also been determined.