Direct Synthesis of Dialkylphosphites from White Phosphorus
Ziman Cai, Xiangzhe Zeng, Yumeng Zhang, Yan Liu, Guo Tang, Yufen Zhao
Abstract
Abstract Dialkyl phosphites (DAPIs), traditionally prepared from hazardous and corrosive PCl 3 , are the fundamental reactive starting materials used in organophosphorus chemistry. Here, a KBr‐mediated synthesis of DAPIs involving P 4 , alcohols and water is presented. With the use of silica gel as the catalyst, oxone as the safe oxidant, industrially important (EtO) 2 P(O)H, (i‐PrO) 2 P(O)H and (MeO) 2 P(O)H are prepared in 70–90% yields. Furthermore, rare metal extractant bis(2‐ethylhexyl) phosphate (D2EHPA) is obtained in 73% yield. The reaction is characterized by a complete conversion of white phosphorus. Moreover, this method can be easily adapted to large‐scale preparation. magnified image