It was previously shown that aryl chlorodithioformates react with esters of trivalent phosphorus acids according to the following general equation (U.S. Patent No. 3,089,891): ##STR3## The above primary product has two organophosphorus groups, one having phosphorus bonded to the carbon atom that was initially part of the thiocarbonyl group (C.dbd.S) and the other having phosphorus bonded to the sulfur atom that was initially part of the thiocarbonyl group. There are no bond rearrangements on the aryl group of the dithioformate during the reaction.
It was further shown that products obtained according to the above equation are converted to other products by the following process (U.S. Pat. No. 3,257,270): ##STR4## where the symbols for this equation have the meaning defined in the patent:
R is selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbyl, hydrocarbyloxy, and halohydrocarbyloxy radicals having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms; R' is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, chlorine, bromine, and alkylthio, arylthio, and alkarylthio radicals having from 1 to 15 carbon atoms, and chlorine and bromine-substituted derivatives thereof; and R" is selected from the group consisting of phenyl, chlorophenyl, bromophenyl, and alkylphenyl radicals having from 7 to about 12 carbon atoms, and R"' is selected from the group consisting of aliphatic and halogen-substituted aliphatic radicals having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms.
Characteristic of the structures of the above products is the presence of at least two sulfur atoms, one of which is bonded to phosphorus as part of an ester of a thiophosphorus acid.