Mind the gap! Replacing the two terminal carbon atoms of a tetrayne‐linked bis‐alkene by two phosphorus centers leads to a decrease of the HOMO–LUMO gap by 0.5 eV. The acetylenic phosphaalkenes are accessible from an ambivalent carbene‐type C5 intermediate and are shown to be viable building blocks for the construction of elaborate phosphorus‐ and carbon‐rich molecules (see picture; C gray, P purple).

A series of C,C-diacetylenic phosphaalkenes 1b-e has been prepared from 1-chloropenta-1,2-dien-4-ynes 6b-e in a reaction with Mes*PCl(2) (Mes* = 2,4,6-((t)Bu)(3)Ph) in the presence of LDA. Under identical conditions, isomeric butadiyne-substituted phosphaalkenes 2c-f can be obtained from 3-chloropenta-1,4-diynes 5c-f. The title compounds represent rare examples of diethynylethenes in which a constituting methylene has been replaced by a phosphorus center. The formation of both isomers can be rationalized by a common pathway that involves isomeric allenyllithium species. Spectroscopic, electrochemical, and theoretical investigations show that the phosphorus heteroatoms are an intrinsic part of the compounds' pi-systems and lead to decreased HOMO-LUMO gaps compared to those in all-carbon-based reference compounds.

Phosphole-substituted phosphaalkenes (PPAs) of the general formula Mes*P=C(CH3)–(C4H2P(Ph))–R 5 a–c (Mes*=2,4,6-tBu3Ph; R=2-pyridyl (a), 2-thienyl (b), phenyl (c)) have been prepared from octa-1,7-diyne-substituted phosphaalkenes by utilizing the Fagan–Nugent route. The presence of two differently hybridized phosphorus centers (σ2,λ3 and σ3,λ3) in 5 offers the possibility to selectively tune the HOMO–LUMO gap of the compounds by utilizing the different reactivity of the two phosphorus heteroatoms. Oxidation of 5 a–c by sulfur proceeds exclusively at the σ3,λ3-phosphorus atom, thus giving rise to the corresponding thioxophospholes 6 a–c. Similarly, 5 a is selectively coordinated by AuCl at the σ3,λ3-phosphorus atom. Subsequent second AuCl coordination at the σ2,λ3-phosphorus heteroatom results in a dimetallic species that is characterized by a gold–gold interaction that provokes a change in π conjugation. Spectroscopic, electrochemical, and theoretical investigations show that the phosphaalkene and the phosphole both have a sizable impact on the electronic properties of the compounds. The presence of the phosphaalkene unit induces a decrease of the HOMO–LUMO gap relative to reference phosphole-containing π systems that lack a P=C substituent.

Molecular tools for fluorescent imaging of specific compartments in cells are essential for understanding the function and activity of cells. Here, we report the synthesis of a series of pyridyl- and thienyl-substituted phospholes and the evaluation of these dyes for fluorescent imaging of cells. The thienyl-substituted phospholes proved to be successful for staining of cultured normal and malignant cells due to their fluorescent properties and low toxicity. Co-staining experiments demonstrated that these probes target lipid droplets, which are, lipid-storage organelles found in the cytosol of nearly all cell types. Our findings confirm that thienyl-substituted phospholes can be utilized as fluorescent tools for vital staining of cells, and we foresee that these fluorescent dyes might be used in studies to unravel the roles that lipid droplets play in cellular physiology and in diseases.

Attempts to utilize C-ethylenic phosphaalkenes in metathesis reactions are discussed. Unprecedented reactivity is observed where the vinylphosphaalkene undergoes the first step of the catalytic cycle and cross-metathesis with the phenylmethylene moiety of Grubbs 2nd generation catalyst. However, homo-metathesis reaction to form 1,6-diphosphahexa-1,3,5-triene is not observed, presumably due to steric constraints.