The Phosphorus Ylide CH2PH3 is Stable in the Gas Phase

By neutralization–reionization mass spectrometry (NRMS), the parent compound of the phosphorus ylides, methylenephosphorane CH 2 PH 3 , can be generated and unequivocally characterized. This substance cannot be “bottled” but is stable under the conditions of the NRMS experiment, and its properties correspond with those proposed by theory.