Abstract Di-t-butyl aryl phosphates 3 on treatment with lithium diisopropylamide rearrange to di-t-butyl (2-hydroxyaryl) phosphonates 5. A di-t-butyl (2-hydroxyaryl) phosphonate on reaction with di-t-butyl phosphorochloridate yields a phosphate-phosphonate 8 which on treatment with lithium diisopropylamide gives a tetra-t-butyl (2-hydroxy-1, 3-arenediyl) bisphosphonate 10. Treatment of these phosphonate esters 5 and 10 with trifluoroacetic ...