Phosphinate

Phosphinate
Sodium hypophosphite
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
UNII
  • InChI=1S/H3O2P/c1-3-2/h3H2,(H,1,2)/p-1
    Key: ACVYVLVWPXVTIT-UHFFFAOYSA-M
  • [O-][PH2]=O
Properties
H2O2P−
Molar mass 64.988 g·mol−1
Related compounds
Related compounds
 phosphite; phosphine oxide
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).

Phosphinates or hypophosphites are a class of phosphorus compounds conceptually based on the structure of hypophosphorous acid. IUPAC prefers the term phosphinate in all cases, however in practice hypophosphite is usually used to describe inorganic species (e.g. sodium hypophosphite), while phosphinate typically refers to organophosphorus species.

Hypophosphites

The hypophosphite ion is (H
2PO
2)−
. The salts are prepared by heating white phosphorus in warm aqueous alkali e.g. Ca(OH)2:[1]

P4 + 2 Ca(OH)2 + 4 H2O → 2 Ca(H2PO2)2 + 2 H2

Hypophosphites are reducing agents:[1]

(H
2PO
2)−
 + 3 OH− → (HPO
3)2−
 + 2 H2O + 2 e−

Hypophosphites are used in electroless nickel plating as the reducing agent to deposit for example Ni metal from Ni salts.[1] The hypophosphite ion is thermodynamically unstable, and disproportionates on heating to phosphine and phosphate salts:

2 H
2PO
2−
 → PH3 + HPO
42−

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 512. ISBN 978-0-08-037941-8.