• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.28-32
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• 2004

The condensation reaction of (benzylene)triphenylphosphoranes with carbonyl compounds in supercritical carbon dioxide was examined. Reactions of (benzylene)phosphoranes (ca. 1 mmol) with several benzaldehydes in a supercritical carbon dioxide (80 $^{\circ}C$, 2,000 psi) containing THF entrainer (5%) in a 24 mL reactor proceed smoothly to yield olefination products in fairly good to excellant yields but slower, compared to reactions in a conventional THF solvent. Generally, phosphoranes that are not substituted with a nitro group show more (Z)-selective reactions with aromatic aldehydes under $scCO_2$ condition than in THF. The reaction of (benzylene)triphenylphosphoranes with 4-t-butylcyclohexanone gave the corresponding olefin compounds with a low conversion under both the supercritical carbon dioxide and the organic THF solvent. Our preliminary study showed the Wittig reaction carries out smoothly in supercritical carbon dioxide medium and also a possibile tunability of this reaction pathway by adding a entrainer. The results would be useful for devising a novel process for the environmentally friendly Wittig reaction.