Issue 36, 2018

[P4H]+[Al(OTeF5)4]: protonation of white phosphorus with the Brønsted superacid H[Al(OTeF5)4](solv)

Abstract

A sustainable transformation of white phosphorus (P4) into chemicals of higher value is one of the key aspects in modern phosphorus research. Even though the chemistry of P4 has been investigated for many decades, its chemical reactivity towards the simplest electrophile, the proton, is still virtually unknown. Based on quantum-chemical predictions, we report for the first time the successful protonation of P4 by the Brønsted acid H[Al(OTeF5)4](solv). Our spectroscopic results are in agreement with acid-mediated activation of P4 under protonation of an edge of the P4-tetrahedron and formation of a three-center two-electron P–H–P bond. These investigations are of fundamental interest as they permit the activation of P4 with the simplest electrophile as a new prototype reaction for this molecule.

Graphical abstract: [P4H]+[Al(OTeF5)4]−: protonation of white phosphorus with the Brønsted superacid H[Al(OTeF5)4](solv)

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
08 Jul 2018
Accepted
10 Aug 2018
First published
23 Aug 2018
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2018,9, 7169-7173

[P4H]+[Al(OTeF5)4]: protonation of white phosphorus with the Brønsted superacid H[Al(OTeF5)4](solv)

A. Wiesner, S. Steinhauer, H. Beckers, C. Müller and S. Riedel, Chem. Sci., 2018, 9, 7169 DOI: 10.1039/C8SC03023E

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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