Mechanistic investigations of the phosphine-mediated nitrone deoxygenation reaction and its application in cyclic imine synthesis

Carbohydrate-derived cyclic nitrones were deoxygenated to form the corresponding imines using tributylphosphine. Experimental and theoretical investigations by the way of MP2 calculations suggest a revision of the mechanism initially proposed by Kurtzweil and Beak for the triarylphosphine-mediated deoxygenation of nitrones.