Process of preparing organophosphorus compounds by phase transfer

Abstract

Novel organic tertiary phoshine oxides and organic phoshonic acid esters, for example, bidentate organophosphorus actinide extractants, such as the carbamoylmethylphosphonates (CMP's) can be prepared (for example, in 90% or better yield and purity) by a process involving phase transfer catalysis, under conditions where degradive hydrolysis of the products or reactants is substantially avoided. For example, carbamoylmethylphosphonates can be prepared by reaction of the corresponding secondary phosphites with 2-substituted acetamides (wherever the substituent is a good leaving group, e.g. chlorine) in a two-phase system containing a high concentration of an aqueous base (preferably sodium hydroxide) and a suitable phase transfer catalyst, e.g., tetralkylammonium chlorides. Similarly, secondary phosphine oxides can be converted to novel tertiary carbamoylmethylphoshine oxides which are useful as extractants for transplutonium elements.