Colorless liquid; characteristic odor. Miscible with most common
organic solvents; insoluble in water; hydrolyzes
slowly in water; exposure to air should be minimum;
high thermal stability. Combustible.
Intermediate for insecticides, component of
vinyl stabilizers, lubricant additive, specialty solvent.
Triisopropyl phosphite can be used as a reactant:
- With Ru-based indenylidene complexes to form 1st generation complexes for metathesis reactions.
- In Perkow-type reaction to synthesize compounds containing polarized carbon-carbon double bonds.
- For the synthesis of phosphonohydrazines by reacting with arylamines and isoamyl nitrite.
It can also be used as an alternative to triphenylphosphine in Mitsunobu reaction to facilitate the isolation of products.
Distil it from sodium, under vacuum, through a column packed with glass helices. (This removes any dialkyl phosphonate.) [Ford-Moore & Williams J Chem Soc 1465 1947, Arbuzov Chem Ber 38 1171 1905, see Verkade & Coskren in Organo Phosphorus Compound (Kosolapoff & Maier eds) Wiley Vol 2 pp 1-187 1972, Beilstein 1 IV 1476.]
