Method for the production of cyclic phosphonic acid anhydrides

Method of performing condensation reactions, acylations or of preparing heterocycles comprising forming cyclic phosphonic anhydride of the formula (III) by a) reacting phosphonic acid derivatives of formula (I) with acetic anhydride at a temperature ranging between 30 and 150° C. while separating a mixture of ethanoic acid and acetic anhydride by means of distillation, b) then reactively distilling the oligomeric phosphonic acid anhydrides of formula (II) obtained in step a) and transforming the same into the corresponding cyclic trimeric phosphonic acid anhydrides of formula (III), wherein n represents a number between 0 and 300 while R represents allyl, aryl, or open-chain, cyclic, or branched C1 to C8 alkyl radicals, aryloxy, allyloxy, or alkoxy comprising open-chain, cyclic, or branched C1 to C8 alkyl radicals. Preferably the cyclic trimeric phosphonic acid anhydrides formed in step b) are immediately dissolved in an organic solvent that exhibits an inert behavior relative thereto.