1,1-Diphosphines and divinylphosphines via base catalyzed hydrophosphination

A catalytic hydrophosphination route to 1,1-diphosphines is yet to be reported: these narrow bite angle pro-ligands have been used to great effect as ligands in homogeneous catalysis. We herein demonstrate that terminal alkynes readily undergo double hydrophosphination with HPPh2 and catalytic potassium hexamethyldisilazane (KHMDS) to generate 1,1-diphosphines. A change to H2PPh leads to the formation of P,P-divinyl phosphines.