Carbodiphosphoranes: The Chemistry of Divalent Carbon(0)

A combined experimental/theoretical study gives strong evidence that carbodiphosphoranes are divalent carbon(0) compounds. The calculations show that carbodiphosphoranes have two lone pairs of electrons (see picture), which give rise to unusual properties as confirmed by experiment. The synthesis of a triply charged molecules in which two protonated carbodiphosphoranes serve as donor ligands to an Ag+ center supports the bonding model.