REACTION OF TERMINAL PHOSPHINIDENE COMPLEXES WITH ALDIMINES - SYNTHESIS OF THE FIRST 1,2,3-AZADIPHOSPHETIDINE

Transient terminal phosphinidene complexes [RP-M(CO)(5)] (M = Mo, W, R = Ph, Me), as generated from the corresponding 7-phosphanorbornadiene complexes, react with N-methyl(benzylidene)amine to afford the diazap hospholane complexes 3,4 (R = Ph) or a mixture of diazaphospholane 9 a nd 1,2,3-azadiphosphetidine 10 (R = Me), probably by insertion of eith er one molecule of imine or one molecule of phosphinidene into the wea k P-N bond of the unstable intermediate azaphosphiridine 11. The new c omplex 10 has been submitted to an X-ray crystal structure analysis. ( C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.