Phosphorane

Definition

Phosphorane is a pentavalent phosphorus compound with four substituents and one negative charge, commonly involved in the Wittig reaction to create alkenes from aldehydes or ketones. It acts as a nucleophile, attacking the carbonyl carbon of an aldehyde or ketone to form a double bond.

Related terms

Wittig Reaction: A chemical reaction used to convert aldehydes or ketones into alkenes through the use of a phosphonium ylide.

Aldehyde: An organic compound containing a functional group with the structure R-CHO, where R is any organic side chain.

Ketone: An organic compound characterized by having a carbonyl group (C=O) bonded to two other carbon atoms within a carbon skeleton