Selective [3+1] Fragmentations of P4 by \01cP\01d Transfer from a Lewis Acid Stabilized [RP4]\212 Butterfly Anion

Two [3+1] fragmentations of the Lewis acid stabilized bicyclo[1.1.0]tetraphosphabutanide Li[Mes*P4⋅ BPh3] (Mes*=2,4,6-tBu3C6H2) are reported. The reactions proceed by extrusion of a P1 fragment, induced by either an imidazolium salt or phenylisocyanate, with release of the transient triphosphirene Mes*P3, which was isolated as a dimer and trapped by 1,3-cyclohexadiene as a Diels–Alder adduct. DFT quantum chemical computations were used to delineate the reaction mechanisms. These unprecedented pathways grant access to both P1- and P3-containing organophosphorus compounds in two simple steps from white phosphorus.