Current synthetic routes of bisphosphine monooxides (BPMOs) are limited. Standard oxidizers produce a mixture of dioxide and monoxide products with remaining bisphosphine reagent. Current methods used include selective, Pd-catalyzed oxidation and mono-reduction of bisphosphine dioxides using several moisture-sensitive materials. The primary goal of this project has been the discovery of simpler methods to selectively produce BPMOs in high purity. Explored methods, described herein, include using mild, organic oxidizers and using the well-established Wittig reaction to selectively oxidize one phosphorus center. 31P{1H} NMR and MS were used to characterize the products and determine product distributions for all attempts.https://openriver.winona.edu/urc2018/1026/thumbnail.jp
