Journal article

Publication year: 2020

Pages: eaba6934-

Journal: Science Advances

Volume number: 6

Issue number: 30

ISSN: 2375-2548

Open access status: Gold

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba6934

Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Abstract: 
Although the chemistry of phosphorus and nitrogen has fascinated chemists for more than 350 years, the Mickel aromatic cyclotriphosphazene (P3N3, 2) molecule-a key molecular building block in phosphorus chemistry-has remained elusive. Here, we report a facile, versatile pathway producing cyclotriphosphazene and its Dewar benzene-type isomer (P3N3, 5) in ammonia-phosphine ices at 5 K exposed to ionizing radiation. Both isomers were detected in the gas phase upon sublimation via photoionization reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry and discriminated via isomer-selective photochemistry. Our findings provide a fundamental framework to explore the preparation of inorganic, isovalent species of benzene (C6H6) by formally replacing the C-H moieties alternatingly through phosphorus and nitrogen atoms, thus advancing our perception of the chemical bonding of phosphorus systems.

Harvard Citation style: Zhu, C., Eckhardt, A., Bergantini, A., Singh, S., Schreiner, P. and Kaiser, R. (2020) The elusive cyclotriphosphazene molecule and its Dewar benzene-type valence isomer (P3N3), Science Advances, 6(30), p. eaba6934. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba6934

APA Citation style: Zhu, C., Eckhardt, A., Bergantini, A., Singh, S., Schreiner, P., & Kaiser, R. (2020). The elusive cyclotriphosphazene molecule and its Dewar benzene-type valence isomer (P3N3). Science Advances. 6(30), eaba6934. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba6934