The Mitsunobu Reaction

Alkyl and aryl phosphites and phosphines react with compounds having weak heteroatom–heteroatom bonds, such as SS, OO, etc., and with azo compounds to form reactive phosphonium salts. These phosphonium salts in turn promote “redox” condensation reactions with compounds having active hydrogens. The condensation reaction of alcohols using the redox couple of a triaryl- or trialkylphosphine and a dialkyl azodicarboxylate has become known as the Mitsunobu reaction, based on his pioneering work in the late 1960s. The overall reaction is summarized, wherein the alcohol (R1OH) and acidic compound (H–Nu) are condensed to form product (R1–Nu), while triphenylphosphine is oxidized to triphenylphosphine oxide and the azodicarboxylate is reduced to the hydrazine. Although the typical redox combination is diethyl azodicarboxylate (DEAD) and triphenylphosphine, many other combinations have found selected use. The reaction is generally limited to primary and secondary alcohols, although tertiary alcohols react in a few intramolecular and intermolecular reactions. For secondary alcohols the reaction usually proceeds with clean inversion of stereochemistry. The acidic component of the reaction generally has an aqueous pKa