Phosphine Organocatalysis

The hallmark of nucleophilic phosphine catalysis is the initial nucleophilic addition of a phosphine to an electrophilic starting material, producing a reactive zwitterionic intermediate, generally under mild conditions. In this Review, we classify nucleophilic phosphine catalysis reactions in terms of their electrophilic components. In the majority of cases, these electrophiles possess carbon–carbon multiple bonds: alkenes (section 2), allenes (section 3), alkynes (section 4), and Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) alcohol derivatives (MBHADs; section 5). Within each of these sections, the reactions are compiled based on the nature of the second starting material—nucleophiles, dinucleophiles, electrophiles, and electrophile–nucleophiles. Nucleophilic phosphine catalysis reactions that occur via the initial addition to starting materials that do not possess carbon–carbon multiple bonds are collated in section 6. Although not catalytic in the phosphine, the formation of ylides through the nucleophilic addition of phosphines to carbon–carbon multiple bond–containing compounds is intimately related to the catalysis and is discussed in section 7. Finally, section 8 compiles miscellaneous topics, including annulations of the Hüisgen zwitterion, phosphine-mediated reductions, iminophosphorane organocatalysis, and catalytic variants of classical phosphine oxide–generating reactions.