Facile Conversion of Red Phosphorus into Soluble Polyphosphide Anions by Reaction with Potassium Ethoxide

Alina Dragulescu-Andrasi; L Zane Miller; Banghao Chen; D Tyler McQuade; Michael Shatruk

doi:10.1002/anie.201511186

Facile Conversion of Red Phosphorus into Soluble Polyphosphide Anions by Reaction with Potassium Ethoxide

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2016 Mar 14;55(12):3904-8. doi: 10.1002/anie.201511186. Epub 2016 Mar 1.

Authors

Alina Dragulescu-Andrasi¹, L Zane Miller¹, Banghao Chen¹, D Tyler McQuade², Michael Shatruk³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA.
² Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA. mcquade@chem.fsu.edu.
³ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA. shatruk@chem.fsu.edu.

PMID: 26928980
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201511186

Abstract

Soluble polyphosphide anions were successfully generated in a number of organic solvents by the reaction between shelf-stable red phosphorus and potassium ethoxide. The species were identified by (31)P NMR spectroscopy in solution and by X-ray crystal-structure determination of (Bu4N)2P16 in the solid state. The reaction was scaled up to gram quantities by using a flow-chemistry process.

Keywords: NMR spectroscopy; flow chemistry; phosphorus allotropes; polyanions; structure elucidation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.