Transition Metal-Catalyzed Formation of Phosphorus-Boron Bonds: a New Route to Phosphinoborane Rings, Chains and the First High Polymers

Abstract

A novel catalytic route for the formation of phosphorus-boron bonds has been developed. The dehydrogenative coupling of the phosphine-borane adducts Ph₂PH·BH₃ and PhPH₂·BH₃ is efficiently catalyzed by transition metal-complexes such as [Rh(1,5-cod)₂][OTf] or [{Rh(μ-Cl)(1,5-cod)}₂] to give the linear compound HPPh₂-BH₂-PPh₂-BH₃ (1), the cyclic phosphinoboranes [Ph₂P-BH₂]₃(2a) and [Ph₂P-BH₂]₄ (2b), and the first high molecular weight poly(phosphinoborane) [PhPH-BH₂]_n (3).

Keywords::

• boron
• catalysis
• phosphorus
• polymers
• rings