Synthesis of a Molecule with Five Different Adjacent Pnictogens.

The first molecular compound with all five pnictogens was obtained by a multi-step reaction. Lithiation of the (bisamido)diazadiarsetidine (tBuNAs) (tBuNH) in aliphatic solvents leads to the dimeric metallated species [(tBuNAs) (tBuNLi) ] (1 ). Upon reactions with AsCl , SbCl and BiCl the polycyclic compounds [(tBuNAs) (tBuN) ]PnCl (Pn=As (2), Sb (3), Bi (4)) can be obtained. Conversion of 2-4 with [tBu SbP(tBu)Li(OEt )] leads to the remarkable interpnictogens [(tBuNAs) (tBuN) ]PnP(tBu)SbtBu (Pn=As (5), Sb (6), Bi (7)), whereby 7 is the first example of a molecule containing all five Group 15 elements. The compound with adjacent AsNBiPSb-chains is surprisingly stable and does not show high sensibility against light as the labile Bi-P bond might suggest.