The synthesis and characterization of several
m-terphenyl heavier main group 15 (P, As, Sb, or Bi)dihalides, together with their reduction to give a homologous series of double-bonded dipnictenes, are reported.Reaction of LiC
6H
3-2,6-Mes
2 (Mes = C
6H
2-2,4,6-Me
3) or LiC
6H
3-2,6-Trip
2 (Trip = C
6H
2-2,4,6-
iPr
3) with theappropriate trihalide affords 2,6-Mes
2H
3C
6ECl
2 (E = As,
1; Sb,
2; Bi,
3) and 2,6-Trip
2H
3C
6ECl
2 (E = P,
4;As,
5; Sb,
6; Bi,
7). The compounds
1-7 were characterized by
1H and
13C NMR spectroscopy as well as by
31P NMR spectroscopy in the case of
4. In addition, the structures of
3,
5, and
6 were determined. Reductionof the phosphorus species
4 with potassium in hexane gives a mixture of the diphosphene 2,6-Trip
2H
3C
6P=PC
6H
3-2,6-Trip
2,
12, and the phosphafluorene species, 1-(2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl)-5,7-diisopropyl-9-phosphafluorene,
11. The compound
11, which results from the insertion of a phosphorus into a C(Ar)-C(i-Pr)bond was synthesized in higher yield by the reduction of
4 with magnesium. The simple reduction of
1-4,
6,and
7 with potassium, and of
5 with magnesium, yielded the new series of dipnictenes, 2,6-Mes
2H
3C
6E=EC
6H
3-2,6-Mes
2 (E = As,
8; Sb,
9; Bi,
10) and 2,6-Trip
2H
3C
6E=EC
6H
3-2,6-Trip
2 (E = P,
12; As,
13; Sb,
14a; Bi,
15), as well as the partially reduced species 2,6-Trip
2H
3C
6(Cl)SbSb(Cl)C
6H
3-2,6-Trip
2 (
14b). The compounds,which displayed high thermal stability, were characterized by
1H,
13C, and
31P NMR and UV-vis spectroscopy.The structures of
8-11,
13,
14a, and
14b were determined. These compounds constitute the first homologousseries of dipnictene structures for all the heavier group 15 elements. The E-E bond shortenings observed forthe heaviest antimony or bismuth derivatives lead to the conclusion that
![](/images/gifchars/pi.gif)
overlap is quite important in thefifth- and sixth-period elements of this group.