2-Alkylphosphino-1-boraadamantanes.

Boraadamantanes are a privileged class of caged group 13 compounds having a trigonal pyramidal (non-VSEPR) ground-state. The Lewis acid-base chemistry of this type of compound is underdeveloped when compared to acyclic derivatives. This report provides the first examples of bifunctional boraadamantanes with an appended phosphine moiety (also the first boraadamantanes having a phosphorus-boron bond). Using this scaffold, boraadamantane coordination compounds are accessed for the first time.