A Systematic Survey of the Reactivity of Chlorinated N2 P2 , NP3 and P4 Ring Systems.

The reactivity of the four-membered NP3 ring system [RN(μ-PCl)2 PR] (R=Mes*=2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl) towards Lewis acids, Lewis bases, and reducing agents was investigated. Comparisons with the literature-known, analogous cyclic compounds [ClP(μ-NR)]2 (R=Ter=2,6-dimesitylphenyl) and [ClP(μ-PR)]2 (R=Mes*) are drawn, to obtain a better systematic understanding of the reactivity of cyclic NP species. Apart from experimental results, DFT computations are discussed to further the insight into bonding and electronic structure of these compounds.