Competitive [4 + 2] cycloadditions in equimolar mixtures of 1‐arylphosphole oxides

Four different [4 + 2] cycloadditions were observed to take place in the equimolar mixtures of two different arylphosphole oxides 2a + 2b or 2b + 2c. In addition to the phosphole oxide dimers 3a-a and 3b-b, or 3b-b and 3c-c, the crossed cycloadducts 3a-b and 3b-a, or 3b-c and 3c-b were also formed in considerable portions. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 12:633–635, 2001