Ab initio molecular orbital calculations are used to examine the mechanism of action of B(12)-dependent ethanolamine ammonia-lyase involving the conversion of 2-aminoethanol to acetaldehyde plus ammonia. We attempt to elucidate the mechanism by which the enzyme facilitates this reaction through interactions between active-site residues and the substrate. Our calculations suggest a preferred pathway involving a 1,2-shift in the associated radical and also suggest that interactions between the enzyme and the migrating group of the substrate that afford an almost fully protonated migrating group will lead to the most efficient catalysis. However, this criterion on its own is insufficient to fully understand the rearrangement. Additional synergistic interactions between the spectator hydroxyl group in the substrate and active-site residues on the enzyme are required to lower the barrier height to a value consistent with experimental observations.

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Reaction of secondary phosphine (+/-)-(2-aminophenyl)phenylphosphine, (+/-)-app, with PCl(5) in toluene gives the hydrochloride salt of the expected chlorophosphine (+/-)-(2-aminophenyl)chlorophenylphosphine, (+/-)-acpp.HCl, however, this is not the case with triphosgene. Rather the first example of a 1,3-azaphosphol-2-one is isolated, viz. (+/-)-3-phenyl-1,3-dihydrobenzo[1,3]azaphosphol-2-one, (+/-)-pbap. The hydrochloride salt (+/-)-acpp.HCl readily reacts with excess vinyl-, 2-methylphenyl- or 2-methoxyphenyl magnesium bromide to give the corresponding tertiary phosphines (+/-)-(2-H(2)NC(6)H(4))PPhR (where R = CH=CH(2), 2-C(6)H(4)Me or 2-C(6)H(4)OMe). Hydrophosphination of the vinyl substituted tertiary phosphine with (+/-)-app in the presence of KOBu(t) provides a synthetic route to the elusive P(2)N(2) quadridentate ligand (R(P)*,R(P)*)- and (R(P)*,S(P)*)-(CH(2))(2)(PPhC(6)H(4)NH(2)-2)(2), albeit in low yield. The azaphospholone (+/-)-pbap can be readily deprotonated with KOBu(t) in thf and subsequently alkylated with methyl iodide or benzyl bromide to give the analogous N-methyl or N-benzyl derivatives. Alkylation with 1,3-dibromopropane gives the bis(azaphospholone) (R(P)*,R(P)*)- and (R(P)*,S(P)*)-1,3-bis[1-{3-phenyl-1,3-dihydrobenzo[1,3]azaphosphol-2-one}]propane. The latter and the N-methyl substituted azaphospholone can also be synthesised by the reaction of the corresponding secondary phosphine, viz. (R(P)*,R(P)*)- and (R(P)*,S(P)*)-(CH(2))(3)(NHC(6)H(4)PHPh-2)(2) and (+/-)-(2-methylaminophenyl)phenylphosphine, with triphosgene. All three azaphospholones react with [PtClMe(1,5-cyclooctadiene)] in thf to give complexes of the type cis-[PtClMeL(2)] in which ligand L is coordinated via the P atom of the azaphospholones. The ligand (+/-)-pbap has also been complexed to palladium(II) via the reaction with Li(2)[PdCl(4)] in methanol to give cis-[PdCl(2){(+/-)-pbap}(2)]. The structures of cis-[PtClMe{(+/-)-pbap}(2)] and cis-[PdCl(2){(+/-)-pbap}(2)] have been confirmed by X-ray analysis.

The first structurally authenticated example of a hexadentate chelating tertiary phosphine in which all six donors are bound to a single metal centre is described. The multidentate ligand (RP*,RP*,RP*)- and (RP*,RP*,SP*)-CH3C(CH2PPhC6H4NH2-2)3 has been prepared in 80% yield via the reaction of five equivalents of sodium (2-aminophenyl)phenylphosphide (generated in situ from (2-aminophenyl)phenylphosphine and sodium in thf) with 1,1,1-tri(bromomethyl)ethane in thf. The diastereomeric mixture has been complexed to cobalt(III) and the resulting pair of complexes, viz. [Co{(RP*,RP*,RP*)-CH3C(CH2PPhC6H4NH2-2)3}]Cl3 and [CoCl{(RP*,RP*,SP*)-CH3C(CH2PPhC6H4NH2-2)3}]Cl2, separated by ion exchange chromatography. The structure of the former (as the corresponding hexafluorophosphate salt) has been confirmed by X-ray crystallography and clearly shows all six donors of the P3N3 ligand coordinated to a single cobalt(III) centre. The related hexadentate ligand with internal N donors and terminal diphenylphosphino groups, viz. CH3C(CH2NHC6H4PPh2-2)3, has also been synthesised, albeit in low yield, via the reaction of [Li(tmeda)][2-NHC6H4PPh2] (generated in situ from (2-aminophenyl)diphenylphosphine, n-butyllithium and tmeda in diethyl ether) with 1,1,1-tri(iodomethyl)ethane in thf. No formation of a P3N3 ligand has been observed when either Na[2-PPhC6H4NH2] or [Li(tmeda)][2-NHC6H4PPh2] is reacted with the related tripodal substrate 1,1,1-tris(tolyl-4-sulfonyloxymethyl)ethane in thf. Rather the P-methyloxetane (+/-)-[3-{(2-aminophenyl)phenylphosphinomethyl}]-3-methyloxetane and the sulfonamide 2-(4-CH3C6H4SO2)NHC6H4PPh2 and the corresponding N-methyloxetane [3-{(2-diphenylphosphinophenyl)aminomethyl}]-3-methyloxetane have been isolated from the respective reactions. The structure of the sulfonamide has been confirmed by an X-ray analysis of the platinum(II) complex trans-[PtCl(CH3){2-PPh2C6H4NH(SO2C6H4CH(3-4)}2].

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