A New Synthesis of Organodifluorophosphites and their Reactions with Platinum(II) Complexes

Alkyldifluorophosphites, ROPF2 (R = p-substituted benzyl group, neopentyl, 1-adamantyl) have been obtained by a new method, involving reaction of the appropriate alkyl trimethylsilylether, ROSiMe3 with chlorodifluorophosphine, PF2Cl. Reactions of these difluorophosphites with platinum(II) complexes of the type [L2PtCl2] (L = PEt3, PPh3) led to products such as trans-[L2PtCl(POF2)] and {[p-XC6H4CH2PPh3]+}2[Pt(POF2)4]2-, (X = H, Me, Cl, NO2). The ease of carbon-oxygen cleavage in ROPF2 is characteristically related to the nature of the leaving group, R.