Environmentally Friendly Chemistry with Organophosphorus Syntheses in Focus

Microwave irradiation and catalysis in organophosphorus reactions

The usual advantage of microwave (MW) assistance is making organic reactions faster and more efficient. In this article we present reaction types from organophosphorus chemistry, when MW-assisted transformations (e.g. the direct esterification and alkylating esterification of phosphinic acids) may be promoted by suitable catalysts, or vice versa, when a catalytic reaction is enhanced by MW irradiation (e.g. the Arbuzov reaction of aryl halides), and when catalysts may be omitted or simplified under MW irradiation as shown by the alkylation of active methylene containing P=O substrates/the Kabachnik–Fields reaction/deoxygenation of phosphine oxides, and the Hirao reaction, respectively.

Milestones in microwave-assisted organophosphorus chemistry

Our recent results in the field of microwave (MW)-assisted organophosphorus syntheses, especially regarding esterifications, condensations, substitutions and additions are surveyed. Beside making organic chemical reactions more efficient, it was possible to perform transformations that are reluctant on conventional heating. Another option is to substitute catalysts, or to simplify catalyst systems under MW conditions. It is also the purpose of this paper to elucidate the scope and limitations of the MW tool, to interpret the MW effects, and to model the distribution of the local overheatings and their beneficial effect. All these considerations are possible on the basis of the enthalpy of activations determined by us utilizing the Arrhenius equation and the pseudo first order kinetic equation.