Tetraalkyl Hydroxymethylene-bisphosphonate and Dialkyl 1-Diphenylphosphinoyl-1-hydroxy-ethylphosphonate Derivatives by the Pudovik Reaction and Their Rearranged Products

The reaction of diethyl α-oxoethylphosphonate and diethyl oxobenzylphosphonate with diethyl phosphite, dimethyl phosphite, and diphenylphosphine oxide affords, depending on the substrates and conditions (nature and quantity of the amine catalyst, temperature, and solvent), the Pudovik adduct and/or the corresponding >P(O)–CH–O–P(O)< product formed by rearrangement. The nature of the substituent on the central carbon atom (a methyl or phenyl group) influences the inclination for the rearrangement. The asymmetric products (either adducts or rearranged species) with different P(O)Y functions (Y = RO or Ph) exhibit interesting NMR features.

A Study on the Rearrangement of Dialkyl 1-Aryl-1-hydroxymethylphosphonates to Benzyl Phosphates

The phospha-Brook rearrangement of dialkyl 1-aryl-1-hydroxymethylphosphonates (HPs) to the corresponding benzyl phosphates (BPs) has been elaborated under solid-liquid phase transfer catalytic conditions. The best procedure involved the use of triethylbenzylammonium chloride as the catalyst and Cs2CO3 as the base in acetonitrile as the solvent at room temperature. The substrate dependence of the rearrangement has been studied, and the mechanism of the transformation under discussion was explored by quantum chemical calculations. The key intermediate is an oxaphosphirane. The one-pot version starting with the Pudovik reaction has also been developed. The conditions of this tandem transformation were the same, as those for the one-step HP→BP conversion.

The typical crystal structures of a few representative α-aryl-α-hydroxyphosphonates

The crystal structures of seven α-aryl-α-hydroxyphosphonates synthesized by the Pudovik reaction of substituted benzaldehydes and dialkyl phosphites, namely dimethyl [(hydroxy)(phenyl)methyl]phosphonate, C9H13O4P, dimethyl [(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)(hydroxy)methyl]phosphonate, C11H17O6P, dimethyl (1-hydroxy-1-phenylethyl)phosphonate, C10H15O4P, dimethyl [1-hydroxy-1-(4-nitrophenyl)ethyl]phosphonate, C10H14NO6P, dibenzyl [hydroxy(2-nitrophenyl)methyl]phosphonate, C21H20NO6P, dibenzyl [(3-chlorophenyl)(hydroxy)methyl]phosphonate, C21H20ClO4P, and dibenzyl [hydroxy(4-methylphenyl)methyl]phosphonate, C22H23O4P, were studied to gain a better understanding of the organization in this type of molecule in the solid state. The crystals obtained for this series of compounds show a balance between C—OH...O=P chain-linked packing and the dimeric types of hydrogen-bond bridges of intermolecular pairs of such functions. The description is based on primary graph-set descriptors. Using graph-set descriptors one level deeper (i.e. secondary graph sets of the C—H...O type) revealed a similarity in the graph-set descriptors, suggesting a fine interplay of substituent- and shape-dependent effects on strong–weak interactions. It seems that the formation of chains or dimers is governed not only by the presence of a tertiary Cα atom, but also by the nature and crowding of the ortho substituents of the α-aryl group.

An Efficient Synthesis of 3-Phosphorylated Benzoxaboroles via the Pudovik Reaction

A simple, fast and efficient synthesis of 3-phosphorylated benzoxaboroles using the Pudovik reaction is reported. A number of diverse 3-(dialkoxyphosphoryl)-1-hydroxy-3H-2,1-benzoxaboroles were synthesised in 70–86% yield. Interesting hydrogen bond features were observed in the crystal lattice of the 5-chlorinated 3-bis(benzyl­oxy)phosphoryl derivative with both inter- and intramolecular C–H···O hydrogen bonds. Additionally, linear chains of intermolecular O–H···O hydrogen bonds were observed.

To date the greenest method for the preparation of α-hydroxyphosphonates from substituted benzaldehydes and dialkyl phosphites

Recent synthetic methods for α-hydroxyphosphonates comprise a green, solvent-free accomplishment of the Pudovik reaction that was typically followed by extractions and recrystallization, or even by chromatography, or other operations. We now developed a general procedure applying 10% of triethylamine as the catalyst and a minimum quantity of acetone as the solvent, giving the products in a pure form after a reflux of 5–120 min following the addition of some