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A new report from the Cummins lab describes the finding that phosphines can be synthesized by completely breaking down the tetrahedral molecule P4using organic radicals, according to 0.25 P4 + 3 R → PR3.1 In the method of this report, organic radicals are generated from RX using a titanium(III) complex for halogen atom abstraction. This direct formation of P-C bonds from P4 avoids the need for hazardous and wasteful chlorination to PCl3, which is the current industrial practice.2
References
1. Cossairt, B. M. & Cummins, C. C. Radical synthesis of trialkyl, triaryl, trisilyl and tristannyl phosphines from P4, New J. Chem. 2010, 34, 1533—1536. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c0nj00124d
2. Ritter, S. A Radical Way to Make Phosphines, Chem. Eng. News 2010, 88, 8. http://pubs.acs.org/cen/email/html/8832notw7.html |
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| On Monday, August 23, 2010, the Department held a reception for alumni and faculty in conjunction with the 2010 ACS Meeting in Boston. Despite appalling weather, many alumni and their guests braved the conditions to come across the river to MIT for a most enjoyable evening. To view a slideshow of the event click here |
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Movassaghi Lab: Deep in the ocean, sponges of the Agelas family, or bacteria living within the sponges, emit chemicals believed to help them defend their territory. Those chemicals, called agelastatins, have also shown the ability to kill cancer cells. For that reason, chemists have been trying to find ways to synthesize agelastatins in the laboratory since the chemicals were discovered in 1993. Go to MIT News>> |
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