Chlorodiphenylphosphine is used to introduce the diphenylphosphinyl moiety by aryl ortho-lithiation. It is also used as an intermediate to make antioxidants, flame retardants, stabilizers, catalysts, photoinitiators, and optical brighteners. Used as a halogenation reagent for the conversion of alcohols into halides, in the preparation of solid-phase reagent for the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides.
This air-sensitive, pale yellow lachrymatory liquid is purified by careful fractional distillation and discarding the lower boiling fraction which contains the main impurity PhPCl2 (b 48-51o/0.7mm), and checking for impurities by NMR. [Weinberg J Org Chem 40 3586 1975, Honer et al. Chem Ber 94 2122 1961, Beilstein 16 IV 969.]