Patent ID: 7411096

Claim:
A process for producing a phosphorus heterocyclic dimer according to formula (5) comprising the steps of: reacting, in the presence of a n-butyl lithium, primary phosphine represented by formula (1): R—PH 2 (1) (wherein R represents a linear or a branched alkyl group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms or a cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 20 carbon atoms) with a compound represented by formula (2): Y—C n H 2n—Y (2) (wherein Y represents a halogen atom or a leaving group selected from -OTs, -OTf, and -OMs, and n represents a number of 3 to 6); reacting a product, which was obtained by said step of reacting primary phosphine represented by formula (1) with a compound represented by formula (2), with boron trihydride, oxygen, or sulfur to obtain a phosphorus heterocyclic compound represented by formula (3): (wherein R represents a linear or a branched alkyl group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms or a cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 20 carbon atoms, n equals 1, X represents a boron trihydride group, an oxygen atom, or a sulfur atom, and ═══ represents a single bond when X is a boron trihydride group or a double bond when X is an oxygen atom or sulfur atom); dimerizing the phosphorus heterocyclic compound represented by formula (3) to produce a phosphorus heterocyclic dimer represented by formula (4): (wherein R represents a linear or a branched alkyl group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms or a cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 20 carbon atoms, n equals 1, X represents a boron trihydride group, an oxygen atom, or a sulfur atom); and removing oxygen, sulfur, or borane from the phosphorus heterocyclic dimer represented by formula (4) to obtain an optically active phosphorus heterocyclic dimer represented by formula (5): wherein R represents a linear or a branched alkyl group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms or a cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 20 carbon atoms, n equals 1); and wherein the compound represented by formula (2) is 1,3-dichloropropane.