Reactions of carbonyl compounds with tervalent phosphorus reagents. Part II. Alkyl benzoates

Abstract

Alkyl benzoates are shown to react with diphenylphosphinous chloride to give products resulting from competing processes, initiated by attack by phosphorus at the carbonyl carbon and at the alkyl carbon atoms. Alkyl p-methoxybenzoates are shown to react with the same phosphorus reagent at both the ester and ether alkyl groups, the latter representing an unusual cleavage of an ether by a neutral phosphorus compound.