Phosphorus-Centered Radicals: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications. A Review

Phosphorus-containing compounds have a huge synthetic potential because of their wide application in pharmaceuticals, biology, agrochemistry, organic synthesis, and materials science. The search for new selective reactions for their preparation requires a deeper understanding of the properties and reactivity of key intermediates, which include phosphorus-centered radicals. Of particular interest are the ways to stabilize such radicals, which have unusual physical properties. This review analyzes and summarizes basic achievements and trends in both the generation of highly reactive phosphorus radicals and their involvement in practically significant synthesis reactions, primarily the formation of phosphorus–carbon bonds, and the pathways for the synthesis of stable radicals, their physicochemical properties, and magnetic resonance parameters. Despite the long historical development of research, important achievements in this area have been made over the past decade.