Unexpected condensation reaction of two units of 1,2‐dihydrophosphinine 1‐oxides in the presence of tetracyanoethylene

Abstract

In the presence of tetracyanoethylene, the reaction of two molecules of dihydrophosphinine oxide 2B followed an unexpected route to afford diphosphatricyclododecatrienes 4 instead of the corresponding Diels-Alder cycloadducts (3). Structures of the products (4) have been elucidated by a joint application of spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations.