An Efficient Synthesis of Stable Phosphorus Ylides Derived from Triphenylphosphine, Dialkyl Acetylenedicarboxylates, and an NH-Acid

Stable crystalline phosphorus ylides were obtained in excellent yields from the 1:1:1 addition reaction between triphenylphosphine and dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates in the presence of strong NH-acids, such as benzotriazole, 5-methylbenzotriazole, 5-chlorobenzotriazole, pyrrole, 2-acetylpyrrole, pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde, 4-nitro-acetanilide, 4-methoxyacetanilide, 4-bromoacetanilide, 4-methylacetanilide, 2-methyl-acetanilide, and 2,6-dimethylacetanilide. These stable ylides exist in a solution as a mixture of two geometrical isomers as a result of the restricted rotation around the carbon–carbon partial double bond resulting from the conjugation of the ylide moiety with the adjacent carbonyl group.

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Research Council of University of Sistan and Baluchestan.