and its ditungsten pentacarbonyl adduct were structurally characterized. The scope of the process extends to representative primary and secondary phosphines, and combined experimental/computational analyses support a mechanism in which acid activation of the quinone promotes hydride abstraction from phosphorus to generate a phosphinophosphenium intermediate that undergoes P-P bond formation and closes the catalytic cycle. This mild, acceptor-mediated platform complements established transition-metal and main-group approaches to P-P bond construction.
Ekstrom et al. (Mon,) studied this question.