In
chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
, a phosphorochloridate is a class of
organophosphorus compound
Organophosphorus chemistry is the scientific study of the synthesis and properties of organophosphorus compounds, which are organic compounds containing phosphorus. They are used primarily in pest control as an alternative to chlorinated hydrocarbo ...
s with the formula (RO)
2P(O)Cl (R = organic substituent). They are tetrahedral in shape, akin to regular
phosphate
Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus.
In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...
s (OP(OR)
3). They are usually colorless and sensitive toward hydrolysis. They are oxidized derivatives of
phosphorochloridites, which have the formula (RO)
2PCl. A popular example is
diethyl phosphorochloridate.
Synthesis and reactions
Phosphochloridites are precursors to
phosphate ester
In organic chemistry, organophosphates (also known as phosphate esters, or OPEs) are a class of organophosphorus compounds with the general structure , a central phosphate molecule with alkyl or aromatic substituents. They can be considered a ...
s:
:(RO)
2P(O)Cl + R'OH → (R'O)(RO)
2P(O) + HCl
Other nucleophiles have been employed, such as azide.
References
{{Organophosphorus
Functional groups
Phosphorus halides
Phosphorus(V) compounds