Transformational Synthetic Reagents

Many of the Phosphorus Specialties products derived from Cytec's PCl₃ technology platform facilitate organic reactions by adding to a substrate and activating selected functional groups to further transformation. In particular the chlorophosphates DECP and DPCP have been used in a number of applications. DECP activates ketones in alkyne synthesis, facilitates dehydroxylation of phenols in good to excellent yields and has also been shown to assist in the selective reduction of ketones when proper reactions controls are employed. DECP has been used as a phosphorylating reagent for reaction with hydroxys, phenols and amino functionalities in the formation of pro-drugs. Diphenyl chlorophosphate (DPCP) is widely used as a key coupling reagent in the synthesis of carbapenum antibiotics.

Diphenylphosphinous chloride (DPC) and its derivatives, EDPP and DPPC, are also of interest to the synthetic organic chemist. DPC and EDPP are used in the formation of an intermediate diphenylphosphine oxide which undergoes subsequent Horner Emmons Wadsworth (HEW) chemistry as a key coupling step in the formation of APIs. DPPC is a reagent for acid activation in amide and lactam formations.

Cytec's range of phosphonates such as DECMP and TMPA and bisphosphonates like TIPMDP are used in the fine chemical and pharmaceutical industry to impart critical fragments into the final active molecule. Our arylphosphines (TOTP, DPPB) are catalyst ligands utilized in a number of commercial applications.

CYTOP® 340 tri-n-butylphosphine, can be used for a variety of processing applications. These include desulfurization, disulfide reduction, Mitsunobu condensation, amine formation via the Staudinger reaction, amide formation via the aza-Wittig reaction and as Wittig reagent precursor. CYTOP 340 tri n-butylphosphine provides faster kinetics than triphenylphosphine in the Mitsunobu condensation and higher E/Z ratios where it applies to Wittig reactions.

Additionally, CYTOP 340 has found utility in catalytic amounts for carbon-carbon bond formation in a variety of transformations such as the Baylis-Hillman and Rauhut-Currier reactions which involve activated olefins.