The first example of CO2 diphosphination is described. Reactions of unsymmetrical diphosphanes with CE2 (E = O, S) catalyzed by BPh3 insert a CE2 molecule into the P-P bond with formation of the products of the general formula R2P-E-C(=E)-PR2. The obtained CO2 adducts arise from synergistic interaction of diphosphane and borane with CO2 molecule.

We present the comprehensive study of diphosphanes with diversified substituents regarding their syntheses, structures, and properties. To this end, we have synthesized a series of novel unsymmetrical alkyl, aryl and amino-substituted diphosphanes of the general formula R1R2P-PR3R4 (where R1, R2, R3, R4 = tBu, Ph, Et2N or iPr2N) via salt metathesis reactionof halophosphanes with metal phosphides in high yield. We vastly expanded...

The monomeric diaminophosphinoboranes readily react with CO2 under mild conditions to cleanly form products of the general formula R2P-C(=O)-O-B(NR2)2 in the absence of a catalyst. The isolated products from the CO2-phosphinoboration were fully characterized by NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The mechanism of CO2 phosphinoboration with diaminophosphinoboranes was elucidated by DFT calculations.