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The synthesis and catalytic reactivity of a class of water-tolerant cationic phosphorus-based Lewis acids is reported. Corrole-based phosphorus(v) cations of the type [ArP(cor)][B(C 6 F 5 ) 4 ] (Ar = C 6 H 5 , 3,5-(CF 3 ) 2 C 6 H 3 ; cor = 5,10,15-(C 6 H 5 ) 3 corrolato 3- , 5,10,15-(C 6 F 5 ) 3 corrolato 3- ) were synthesized and characterized by NMR and X-ray diffraction. The visible electronic absorption spectra of these cationic phosphacorroles depend strongly on the coordination environment at phosphorus, and their Lewis acidities are quantified by spectrophotometric titrations. DFT analyses establish that the character of the P-acceptor orbital comprises P-N antibonding interactions in the basal plane of the phosphacorrole. Consequently, the cationic phosphacorroles display unprecedented stability to water and alcohols while remaining highly active and robust Lewis acid catalysts for carbonyl hydrosilylation, C sp 3 -H bond functionalization, and carbohydrate deoxygenation reactions., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2019.)

The syntheses and 1,2-addition reactivities of nontrigonal phosphazenes supported by trianionic tricoordinating chelates of the type L 3 P[double bond, length as m-dash]Ndipp ( 3 : L 3 = N[CHC( t Bu)O] 2 3- ; 4 : L 3 = N( o -NMeC 6 H 4 ) 2 3- ; dipp = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl) are reported. These compounds are characterized by multinuclear NMR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. Distorted phosphazenes 3 and 4 are shown to add B-H, B-O, and Si-H bonds across the formal P[double bond, length as m-dash]N double bond, and their reactivities are contrasted with acyclic analogues. Derivatives of phosphazene 3 bearing sterically unencumbered N -substitutents readily dimerize to form the corresponding cyclodiphosphazanes; compounds with sterically demanding N -substituents are interconvertible between their monomeric and dimeric forms. The enhanced electrophilicity of the phosphorus center in nontrigonal phosphazenes 3 and 4 is rationalized by DFT calculations. Gas phase fluoride ion affinities are computed to be markedly higher for distorted phosphazenes, while proton affinities are largely unaffected by geometric distortion. These results are interpreted to suggest that distortion from pseudotetrahedral geometry results in stabilization of the P-based LUMO, while HOMO energies are essentially unchanged., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2018.)