Expanding the Analogy Between P=C and C=C Bonds to Polymer Science

Many similarities between the chemistry of carbon and phosphorus in low coordination numbers (i.e., CN=1 or 2) have been established. In particular, the parallel between the molecular chemistry of the P=C bond in phosphaalkenes and the C=C bond in olefins has attracted considerable attention. An emerging area in this field involves expanding the analogy between P=C and C=C bonds to polymer science. This review provides a background to this new area by describing the relevant synthetic methods for P=C bond formation and known phosphorus–carbon analogies in molecular chemistry. Recent advances in the addition polymerization of phosphaalkenes and the synthesis and properties of π-conjugated poly(p-phenylenephosphaalkene)s will be described.