Phosphines: preparation and reactivity

This chapter aims to present some of the new trends and areas of interest in the field of organophosphorus chemistry from the literature presented in 2019–2020. First, we will discuss the reactions of elemental phosphorus and in particular the role direct reactions of elemental phosphorus may have in the sustained challenge of avoiding toxic and environmentally unfriendly chlorinated phosphines in routes to access organophosphorus compounds. We will then shift our attention to the use of organophosphorus compounds as catalysts in a range of transformations to exemplify how these may serve as a “greener” replacement for traditional transition metal-based systems. Finally, we will discuss recent developments in both the synthesis and reactivity of phosphorus-containing frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs). We have chosen to adopt the approach of discussing relevant examples in some detail with the aim of giving the reader a general overview of the area and recent developments. With this in mind, we have been selective in the literature we have included and therefore we can only apologise if a noteworthy piece of work in the areas mentioned has been omitted.