Richard’s publication on the “Dynamic Activation of Alcohols by an Electrophilic Phosphinine” is now published in Chemical Communications. We show here that a bis(trifluoromethyl)-substituted phosphinine undergoes reversible oxidative addition of primary and secondary alcohols at the low-coordinate phosphorus(III) atom contrasting the general inertness of uncoordinated phosphinines toward protic substrates and provides a rare example of reversible alcohol activation mediated by a main-group element compound. 

Congratulations and big thanks to Dr. Nathan Coles at Cardiff University and Dr. Samuel Neal at University of Bath!

DOI: 10.1039/D5CC05302A