Ph3PCN2: a stable reagent for carbon atom transfer

Abstract

Precise modification of a chemical site in a molecule at the single-atom level is one of the most elegant yet difficult transformations in chemistry. A reagent specifically designed for chemoselective introduction of monoatomic carbon is a particularly formidable challenge. Here we report a straightforward, azide-free synthesis of a crystalline and isolable diazophosphorus ylide Ph3PCN2, a stable compound with a carbon atom bonded to two chemically labile groups, triphenylphosphine (PPh3) and dinitrogen (N2). Without any additives, the diazophosphorus ylide serves as a highly selective transfer reagent for fragments including Ph3PC to deliver phosphorus ylide-terminated heterocumulenes and CN2 to produce multi-substituted pyrazoles. Ultimately, even exclusive C-atom transfer is possible: In reactions with aldehydes, acyclic and cyclic ketones (R2C=O), the C-atom substitution forms a vinylidene (R2C=C:) en route to alkynes or butatrienes.