A lanthanide phosphinidene complex: synthesis, structure, and phospha-Wittig reactivity

The first lanthanide complex featuring a phosphinidene functional group has been prepared and isolated. Preliminary reactivity studies demonstrate that the lutetium(III) phosphinidene complex, [{2-(iPr2P)-4-Me-C6H3}2NLu]2(μ-PMes)2, behaves as a phospha-Wittig reagent with aldehydes and ketones to give the corresponding phosphaalkenes. Attempts to use the bulky phosphine H2P-2,4,6-tBu3-C6H2 to kinetically stabilize a terminal phosphinidene resulted in C−H activation of an ortho-tBu group and formation of a phosphaindole.