Propylphosphonic Anhydride (T3P®)

T3P® is a commonly used coupling reagent and water scavenger for peptide synthesis but new applications are being found (for a short review see Llanes Garcia A L, Synlett, 2007, 1328; Schwarz M, SynLett, 2000, 1369).  The reagent offers advantages of low toxicity, broad functional-group tolerance, low epimerisation tendency and easy aqueous work-up in many dehydration reactions.  A recent report from chemists at Syngene, India, shows that T3P® can be used to dehydrate oximes, generated “in situ” from aldehydes and hydroxylamine hydrochloride, to nitriles in high yield (Augustine J K et al, SynLett, 2009 (20), 3378-3382).  Aliphatic, unsaturated, aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes work well.