A NEW ASPECT OF ORGANOBISMUTH CHEMISTRY - SYNTHESIS, PROPERTIES, AND REACTIONS OF BISMUTHONIUM COMPOUNDS

This article is intended to describe recent progress in the chemistry of bismuthonium compounds, represented by onium salts, ylides, and imi des, that have long been left untouched within the frame of heteroatom chemistry mainly because of limited access. However, the recent devel opment of methodologies for the preparation of bismuthonium compounds has enabled us to unveil their properties as well as their chemistry. The article is comprised of three sections that mainly deal with: bism uthonium salts synthesized from triphenylbismuth difluoride and organo -silanes or -stannanes; stabilized and moderately stabilized bismuthon ium ylides synthesized from triphenylbismuth(V) compounds and bismutho nium salts; and bismuthane imides prepared by oxidative imination of b ismuthanes and by reaction between triphenylbismuth(V) dihalides and s ulfonamides. Synthesis, X-ray structures, and typical reaction modes o f these bismuthonium compounds are delineated in the order in which th ey appear.