“…As a result, many alternative methods for effecting syntheses of phosphorus ylides from carbonyl compounds have been developed. It is worth mentioning that although the reaction of PPh 3 with compounds containing halogen groups, such as α-bromoketones, 22 carbon tetrachloride, and hexachloroacetone, [23][24][25][26] has been reported in the literature, we have not observed products derived from nucleophilic attack of the PPh 3 at the CH 2 Br group in 2-bromoacetamide. Apparently, under the present reaction conditions the phosphonium ion 3, which is conjugated with an α,β-unsaturated ester, is formed faster than salt 4, and the compound 5 is formed in a chemospecific manner (Scheme 1).…”