Ia Ib X= heteroatom group R= hydrocarbon group was discovered in 1919 by Staudinger and Meyer! 2 it is only recently that its full scope and potential have been realized. Wittig and eo-workers3 demonstrated the synthetic usefulness of triphenylphosphoniummethylide (I, X=(C6H5) 3P1 R= CHZ) and its derivatives as olefin-forming reagents. Since that time numerous examples of the preparation and reactions of these ylids have been rep~ rted.~