Trimethylphosphine oxide

Trimethylphosphine oxide
Names
IUPAC name
Dimethylphosphorylmethane[1]
Other names
  • Trimethylphosphine oxide
  • Trimethylphosphine P-oxide
  • Trimethylphosphane oxide
  • Trimethyl phosphone
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
Abbreviations TMPO
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.010.577
EC Number
  • 211-633-9
UNII
  • InChI=1S/C3H9OP/c1-5(2,3)4/h1-3H3
    Key: LRMLWYXJORUTBG-UHFFFAOYSA-N
  • CP(=O)(C)C
Properties
(CH3)3PO
Molar mass 92.078 g·mol−1
Appearance White crystalline solid[2]
Odor Odorless[2]
Density 0.9 g/cm3[3]
Melting point 140–141 °C (284–286 °F; 413–414 K)[2]
Boiling point 193.7 °C (380.7 °F; 466.8 K)[3]
Soluble
Solubility Soluble in polar organic solvents.[3]
Structure
Tetrahedral at P
Hazards
Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH):
Main hazards
Serious eye irritation and damage
GHS labelling:
Warning
H302, H315, H319, H335
P261, P264, P264+P265, P270, P271, P280, P301+P317, P302+P352, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P319, P321, P330, P332+P317, P337+P317, P362+P364, P403+P233, P405, P501
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
2
1
0
Flash point 71 °C (160 °F)[3]
Related compounds
Related compounds
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Infobox references

Trimethylphosphine oxide is an organophosphorus compound with the chemical formula (CH3)3PO. It forms highly hygroscopic, white, needle-shaped crystals.[4] It forms a dihydrate (CH3)3PO·2H2O.[5]

Synthesis

Trimethylphosphine oxide can be obtained by reaction between phosphoryl chloride and a Grignard reagent methylmagnesium chloride.[6][7]

POCl3 + 3 CH3MgCl → (CH3)3PO + 3 MgCl2

Trimethylphosphine is easily oxidized by oxygen to trimethylphosphine oxide.[8]

Structure

Trimethylphosphine oxide molecule is tetrahedral at the phosphorus atom. It is a resonance between these two structures:[9]

(CH3)3P+−O(CH3)3P=O

The distances between atoms are as follows:[4]

  • C-H 110 pm
  • P-C 181 pm
  • P-O 148 pm

The angles between atoms are as follows:[4]

  • ∠C-P-O 112.3°
  • ∠C-P-C 106.0°
  • ∠P-C-H 109°

References

  1. ^ "Trimethylphosphine oxide". pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  2. ^ a b c "Safety Data Sheet". ThermoFisher Scientific. 24 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "TRIMETHYLPHOSPHINE OXIDE - Safety Data Sheet". www.chemicalbook.com.
  4. ^ a b c Wang, Hagbarth K. (1965). "The Molecular Structure of Trimethylphosphine Oxide" (PDF). Acta Chemica Scandinavica. 19: 879–882. doi:10.3891/acta.chem.scand.19-0879 (inactive 18 February 2026).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of February 2026 (link)
  5. ^ Urlep, M.; Cerkovnik, J.; Lozinšek, M. (2023). "Trimethylphosphine oxide dihydrate". IUCrData. 8 (Pt 4) x230314. Bibcode:2023IUCrD...830314U. doi:10.1107/S2414314623003140. PMC 10162029. PMID 37151205.
  6. ^ "TRIMETHYLPHOSPHINE OXIDE synthesis - chemicalbook". www.chemicalbook.com.
  7. ^ "Method for synthesizing trimethylphosphine oxide". 2015.
  8. ^ Schmidbaur, H. (January 17, 1978). "Trimethylphosphonium Methylide (Trimethyl Methylenephosphorane)". Inorganic Syntheses. Vol. 18. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. pp. 135–140. doi:10.1002/9780470132494.ch23. ISBN 978-0-471-03393-6 – via Wiley Online Library.
  9. ^ Albright, Thomas A.; Freeman, Walter J.; Schweizer, Edward E. (November 1, 1975). "Nuclear magnetic resonance studies. IV. Carbon and phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance of phosphine oxides and related compounds". The Journal of Organic Chemistry. 40 (23): 3437–3441. doi:10.1021/jo00911a030 – via ACS Publications.