A new application of the Wittig reaction to the preparation of olefins of low molecular weight which allows selective labelling in the vinyl or allyl positions with isotopes of hydrogen and carbon has been developed. Using the modification of the Wittig reaction introduced by E. J. Corey, in which a solution of the methylsulfinyl carbanion in dimethyl sulfoxide serves as the base, a series of olefins from C2 to C8 were synthesized. The synthesis was applied to the preparation of the following labelled compounds: 5-methylene-14C-bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene; propene-1-14C; 1-butene-1-14C; propene-1-d1; 2-methylpropene-1,1-d2; 2-methyl-d3-propene-3,3,3-d3; 2-methyl-2-butene-4,4,4-d3; 2-methyl-d3-2-butene-1,1,1-d3; methylene-d2-cyclohexane. For the synthesis of carbon-labelled olefins the reaction has few limitations since the intermediates and products are isotopically stable under the reaction conditions. Deuterium-labelled olefins can be obtained from deuterated formaldehyde or β-deuterated phosphonium salts, but α-deuteroketones and aldehydes and α-deuterophosphonium salts lose the isotope to the solvent.In all the Wittig reactions, benzene was formed as a by-product in 10–15% yield. The mechanism of benzene formation is probably analogous to that proposed by Seyferth involving the decomposition of a pentacovalent phosphorous intermediate.
