New phosphorus containing oligomeric compounds of general formula ((NRCH2CH
ROP)-C-1-O-2(O)R)(n), analogous to polypeptides, were isolated and characte
rised. These are stable intermediaries in the acid catalysed imide-amide re
arrangement of cyclic phosphorimidates through a ring-opening polymerisatio
n, revealing an intermolecular two step mechanism for this rearrangement. (
C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.