Jean-Luc Montchamp

Phosphinate chemistry in the 21st century: a viable alternative to the use of phosphorus trichloride in organophosphorus synthesis.

Organophosphorus compounds are important in everyday applications ranging from agriculture to medicine and are used in flame retardants and other materials. Although organophosphorus chemistry is known as a mature and specialized area, researchers would like to develop new methods for synthesizing organophosphorus compounds to improve the safety and sustainability of these chemical processes. The vast majority of compounds that contain a phosphorus-carbon bond are manufactured using phosphorus trichloride (PCl3) as an intermediate. However, these reactions require chlorine, and researchers would like to avoid the use of PCl3 and develop safer chemistry that also decreases energy consumption and minimizes waste. Researchers have already proposed and discussed two primary strategies based on elemental phosphorus (P4 or Pred) or on phosphine (PH3) as alternatives to PCl3. However, phosphinates, an important class of phosphorus compounds defined as any compound with a phosphorus atom attached to two oxygens, R(1)R(2)P(O)(OR) (R(1)/R(2) = hydrogen/carbon), offer another option. This Account discusses the previously neglected potential of these phosphinates as replacements of PCl3 for the preparation of organophosphorus compounds. Because of their strong reductive properties, industry currently uses the simplest members of this class of compounds, hypophosphites, for one major application: electroless plating. In comparison with other proposed PCl3 surrogates, hypophosphorous derivatives can offer improved stability, lower toxicity, higher solubility, and increased atom economy. When their reducing power is harnessed to form phosphorus-carbon or phosphorus-oxygen bonds, these compounds are also rich and versatile precursors to organophosphorus compounds. This Account examines the use of transition metal-catalyzed reactions such as cross-coupling and hydrophosphinylation for phosphorus-carbon bond formation. Because the most important industrial organophosphorus compounds include compounds triply or quadruply bound to oxygen, I also discuss controlled transfer hydrogenation for phosphorus-oxygen bond formation. I hope that this Account will further promote research in this novel and exciting yet much underdeveloped area of phosphinate activation.

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of H-phosphinate esters with chloroarenes.

The palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction between H-phosphinate esters and chloroarenes or chloroheteroarenes is described. This reaction is the first general metal-catalyzed phosphorus-carbon bond-forming reaction between a phosphorus nucleophile and chloroarenes.

Palladium-Catalyzed Reactions of Hypophosphorous Compounds with Allenes, Dienes, and Allylic Electrophiles: Methodology for the Synthesis of Allylic H-Phosphinates

Hypophosphorous compounds (MOP(O)H(2), M = H, R(3)NH) effectively participate in metal-catalyzed C-P bond-forming reactions with allenes, dienes, and activated allylic electrophiles under mild conditions. The catalytic system Pd(2)dba(3)/xantphos is crucial to avoid or minimize the competitive reductive transfer-hydrogenation pathway available to hypophosphorous acid derivatives. Further investigation into the allylation mechanism provided access to the analogy allylic acetate-allylic phosphinate, which then led to the development of a Pd-catalyzed rearrangement of preformed allylic phosphinates esters and, ultimately, to a catalytic dehydrative allylation of hypophosphorous acid with allylic alcohols. The reactions disclosed herein constitute efficient synthetic approaches, not only to prepare allylic H-phosphinic acids but also their esters via one-pot tandem processes. In addition, the potential of H-phosphinates as useful synthons for the preparation of other organophosphorus compounds is demonstrated.

A General Strategy for the Synthesis of P‐Stereogenic Compounds

A great leap forward toward the general synthesis of P-stereogenic compounds: Heating H3 PO2 with (-)-menthol and paraformaldehyde gives easily crystallized menthyl hydroxymethyl-H-phosphinate (1). From this product, virtually any P-stereogenic compound can be synthesized.

Manganese-mediated intermolecular arylation of H-phosphinates and related compounds.

The intermolecular radical functionalization of arenes with aryl and alkyl H-phosphinate esters, as well as diphenylphosphine oxide and H-phosphonate diesters, is described. The novel catalytic Mn(II) /excess Mn(IV) system is a convenient and inexpensive solution to directly convert Csp2 H into CP bonds. The reaction can be employed to functionalize P-stereogenic H-phosphinates since it is stereospecific. With monosubstituted aromatics, the selectivity for para-substitution increases in the order (RO)2 P(O)H<R(1) P(O)(OR)H<Ph2 P(O)H, a trend that may be explained by steric effects.

Allylic phosphinates via palladium-catalyzed allylation of H-phosphinic acids with allylic alcohols.

A novel catalytic allylation of H-phosphinic acids is described. Using Pd/xantphos (2 mol %), H-phosphinic acids react directly with allylic alcohols to produce P-allylated disubstituted phosphinic acids.

Convenient synthesis of aluminum and gallium phosphonate cages.

The reactions of AlCl 3.6H 2O and GaCl 3 with 2-pyridylphosphonic acid (2PypoH 2) and 4-pyridylphosphonic acid (4PypoH 2) afford cyclic aluminum and gallium phosphonate structures of [(2PypoH) 4Al 4(OH 2) 12]Cl 8.6H 2O ( 1), [(4PypoH) 4Al 4(OH 2) 12]Cl 8.11H 2O ( 2), [(2PypoH) 4Al 4(OH 2) 12](NO 3) 8.7H 2O ( 3), [(2PypoH) 2(2Pypo) 4Ga 8Cl 12(OH 2) 4(thf) 2](GaCl 4) 2..8thf ( 4), and [(2PypoH) 2(2Pypo) 4Ga 8Cl 12(OH 2) 4(thf) 2](NO 3) 2.9thf ( 5). Structures 1- 3 feature four aluminum atoms bridged by oxygen atoms from the phosphonate moiety and show structural resemblance to the secondary building units found in zeolites and aluminum phosphates. The gallium complexes, 4 and 5, have eight gallium atoms bridged by phosphonate moieties with two GaCl 4 (-) counterions present in 4 and nitrate ions in 5. The cage structures 1- 3 are interlinked by strong hydrogen bonds, forming polymeric chains that, for aluminum, are thermally robust. Exchange of the phosphonic acid for the more flexible 4PyCH 2PO 3H 2 afforded a coordination polymer with a 1:1 Ga:P ratio, {[(4PyCH 2PO 3H)Ga(OH 2) 3](NO 3) 2.0.5H 2O} x ( 6). Complexes 1- 6 were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, NMR, and mass spectrometry and studied by TGA.

Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of anilinium hypophosphite with alkenyl bromides and triflates: application to the synthesis of GABA analogs

Abstract Alkenyl bromides and triflates undergo palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling with anilinium hypophosphite to afford monosubstituted phosphinates (salts of alkenylphosphonous acids). The reaction is an extension of our previously reported methodology for the synthesis of aryl- and benzyl-phosphonous acids. Our preliminary results show that the best reaction conditions are observed with Pd(OAc)2/dppp as a catalyst, in refluxing benzene or tetrahydrofuran. This novel PC bond forming reaction is applied to the synthesis of (1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridin-4-yl)-methylphosphinic acid (TPMPA), a selective competitive antagonist for GABAC receptors. The divergent synthesis proceeds through protected (1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridin-4-yl)-phosphinic acid, a previously unknown isoguvacine-like GABA analog. This synthetic intermediate is also an ideal precursor to other biologically interesting GABA analogs.

Hydrophosphinylation of Unactivated Terminal Alkenes Catalyzed by Nickel Chloride

The room-temperature hydrophosphinylation of unactivated monosubstituted alkenes using phosphinates (ROP(O)H2) and catalytic NiCl2 in the presence of dppe is described. The method is competitive with prior palladium-catalyzed reactions and uses a much cheaper catalyst and simple conditions. The scope of the reaction is quite broad in terms of unactivated terminal olefins, proceeds at room temperature, often avoids chromatographic purification, and allows one-pot conversion to various organophosphorus compounds.

Medicinal Surface Modification of Silicon Nanowires: Impact on Calcification and Stromal Cell Proliferation

Medicinal surface modification of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with selected bisphosphonates, such as the known antiosteoporotic drug alendronate, is described. In terms of specific assays relevant to orthopedic applications, the impact of selected bisphosphonate attachment on acellular calcification in simulated plasma is reported. To further investigate biocompatibility, proliferation assays of these modified nanowires were carried out using an orthopedically relevant cell line: mesenchymal stem cells derived from mouse stroma. It is found that the identity of the bisphosphonate ligand strongly and sensitively impacts its resultant cytotoxicity.