Chemists Thought Phosphorus Was Fully Understood – They Were Wrong

A team of chemists has uncovered an unexpected way to use phosphorus to perform chemical reactions typically reliant on rare and costly metals.

UCLA chemists have uncovered an unexpected way to replace some of the most expensive ingredients in modern chemistry with something far more common. Their work shows that phosphorus, an element found widely in nature and even in living cells, can perform reactions long thought to require rare metals like platinum. Those metals are not only costly but also heavily targeted in catalytic converter theft, since they help neutralize harmful exhaust gases.

The study, published in Nature, centers on a light-activated molecule called a photocatalyst. This molecule works with an inexpensive phosphorus compound to link nitrogen-containing compounds (often found in drugs) to a carbon-carbon double bond. This process, known as hydroamination, is a useful method for building more complex chemical structures.

“Carbon-nitrogen bonds are some of the most important kinds of bonds for drug discovery and manufacturing. Almost all medicines have nitrogen in them, but fixing that nitrogen into molecules is difficult, which is why we use precious transition metal catalysts,” said UCLA chemistry professor Abigail Doyle, who is the paper’s corresponding author.

Transition metals are shiny, electrically conductive metals such as gold, silver, copper, iridium, platinum, and palladium. Under the right conditions, they react easily with many other elements, speeding up chemical reactions. They have therefore become essential industrial catalysts.

The Problem With Precious Metals

“These metals are used in catalytic converters in car engines, and to make a vast variety of materials, from components of denim jeans to medicines,” said Doyle. “However, they can be very expensive to use, so there’s a lot of interest in either finding less expensive transition metals to replace these, such as copper, nickel or iron, or to find a catalyst from a different block in the periodic table that is both abundant and can also react the way that metals do.”

Phosphorus is essential for life and is widely found in nature. Its compounds are also commonly used in organic chemistry.

“Chemists have developed all sorts of named reactions using phosphorus compounds, including examples where phosphines serve as catalysts,” said Doyle.

Phosphines are molecules in which a phosphorus atom is bonded to three carbon atoms. “But we’ve discovered a new reactivity mode for phosphorus that mimics a mode that transition metals like palladium and iridium commonly perform in catalysis,” Doyle said.

The discovery emerged unexpectedly while researchers were exploring new ways to form carbon-nitrogen bonds. During these experiments, they observed an unusual reaction outcome that did not match their initial expectations.

“We were surprised to see high reactivity for a completely different product than what we expected. It was definitely a puzzle to try to figure out what was going on,” said first author and doctoral student Flora Fan. Though initially not designed to perform this way, the team eventually determined that phosphorus had to be working like a metal in the reaction.

How the Reaction Works

The reaction works through a short-lived, highly reactive form of phosphorus. This intermediate interacts with carbon-carbon double bonds in a manner similar to how metal catalysts activate those bonds. At the same time, the phosphorus system follows different underlying rules.

One key distinction is how electrons are transferred during the reaction. The phosphorus compound can participate in both one-electron and two-electron processes, while transition metal catalysts typically rely on two-electron pathways. This difference allows the reaction to follow a unique route and accept a wider range of nitrogen-containing molecules.

The researchers believe that understanding both the similarities and differences between phosphorus and metal catalysts could lead to new ways of designing chemical reactions using more abundant elements.

“We’re excited about trying to understand how far we can take this chemistry,” said Fan. “Hopefully, it will open doors to more versatile methods for making drug compounds and other value-added chemicals.”

Meanwhile, automobile owners can hope that the discovery eventually finds its way into catalytic converters that no longer appeal to thieves.

Reference: “Markovnikov hydroamination of terminal alkenes by phosphine redox catalysis” by Flora Fan, Kassandra F. Sedillo, Alexander J. Maertens and Abigail G. Doyle, 23 February 2026, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10263-7

In addition to Doyle and Fan, the authors of the new study include UCLA doctoral student Alexander Maertens and Princeton Ph.D. Kassandra Sedillo. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

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