The DFT study of the 1-butadienylphosphinidene complex [CH
2=CHCH=CHP-Cr(CO)
5] shows adelocalized structure with a short P-C bond at 1.789 Å and a long C
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
=C
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
double bond at 1.367 Å. TheW(CO)
5 complex has been synthesized by copper-catalyzed decomposition of the appropriate 7-phosphanorbornadiene complex. It gives the normal reaction products with alkynes (phosphirenes) and withconjugated dienes (phospholenes and dihydrophosphepines via a phospha-Cope rearrangement), but whenno trapping reagent is added to the reaction mixture, it gives a complex pentacyclic product whose structurehas been established by X-ray crystal structure analysis and whose formation involves a cascade of reactionsstarting at the dienyl substituent of the precursor.