Rhodium-Mediated Functionalization of White Phosphorus: A Novel Formation of C-P Bonds

The rhodium alkyl and aryl complexes [(triphos)Rh(R)(eta2-C2H4)] (R ) Me (1), Et (2), Ph (3); triphos) MeC(CH2PPh2)3) react with white phosphorus in THF at room temperature to give the new complexes [(triphos)Rh(è1:è2-P4R)] (R ) Me (4), Et (5), Ph (6)). This reaction represents the first example in which a P-C bond is formed by starting from white phosphorus through the mediation of a transition-metal complex.