Organophosphorus chemistry

Organophosphorus chemistry studies compounds containing at least one carbon–phosphorus bond, including how they are made, structured, and transformed.

Phosphine: A phosphorus-centered compound with three substituents and a lone pair, commonly represented as PR₃. Phosphines are a major family of carbon–phosphorus compounds and versatile synthetic reagents.
Wittig reaction: A reaction that converts an aldehyde or ketone into an alkene using a phosphorus ylide. It is a signature carbon–carbon bond-forming use of organophosphorus reagents.
Organophosphate pesticide: A pesticide containing organophosphate groups, often designed to inhibit acetylcholinesterase in insects. This is a major agricultural application of phosphorus-containing organic compounds.
Georg Wittig: A German chemist who developed phosphorus-ylide olefination and shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His work made phosphorus ylides central tools for alkene synthesis.
Organophosphate chemistry: The chemistry of organic compounds with phosphorus–oxygen bonds, especially phosphate esters and related derivatives. It often focuses on P–O–C frameworks rather than the defining carbon–phosphorus bond.
Phosphine oxide: A compound in which a trivalent phosphorus center is bonded to oxygen, commonly represented as R₃P=O. Oxidation of phosphines produces a stable functional group central to many phosphorus reactions.
Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction: An olefination reaction using a phosphonate-stabilized carbanion to convert carbonyl compounds into alkenes. It provides a phosphonate-based alternative to ylide olefination.
Nerve agent: A toxic chemical that disrupts nerve signaling; several nerve agents are organophosphorus acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Some organophosphorus compounds have been developed as chemical warfare agents.
August Michaelis: A German chemist associated with the discovery of the Michaelis–Arbuzov reaction. His research helped establish a defining route to phosphonates.
Inorganic phosphorus chemistry: The chemistry of phosphorus compounds lacking phosphorus–carbon bonds, including oxides, halides, and allotropes. It covers phosphorus chemistry outside the defining scope of organophosphorus compounds.

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