Room-temperature reduction of sulfur hexafluoride with metal phosphides

Abstract

Upon treatment with sulfur hexafluoride, alkali metal diphenyl or dicyclohexyl phosphides are oxidized within seconds to tetraphenyl or tetracyclohexyl diphosphines. When bulky di-tert-butylphosphide is employed, fluorophosphine intermediates are detected. This is the first reported reaction of sulfur hexafluoride with metal phosphides, and a rare example of reactivity of sulfur hexafluoride at ambient temperature.