(N-lithioamino)diorganophosphanes and Bis(N-Lithioamino)organophosphanes: Synthesis and Structures

Butyllithium (nBuLi) deprotonates Ph2P–NHtBu in ether to give (Ph2P–NLitBu)2·OEt2. There is no Li···P interaction in this molecule. Three compounds of the type R′P(NLiR)2 have been obtained by lithiation of R′P(NHR)2, isolated as [BuP(NLitBu)2·OEt2]2, [PhP(NLiPh)2·OEt2]2 and [PhP(NLiPh)2]2. Reaction of nBuLi with MeP(NHiPr)2 in hexane/THF leads to [MeP{N(Li)iPr]2·THF}4 with an asymmetric cluster structure comprising one LiP3, three LiPN2, three LiP2N and one LiN3 cluster units. The molecular structures of these compounds as determined by X-ray structure analysis show that they are best depicted as N-lithioaminophosphanes and not as the isomeric P-lithioiminophosphoranes.