Treatment of diary1 ethyl phosphates 8 with lithium diisopropylamide in tetrahydrofuran yields ethyl bis-(2-hydroxyary1) phosphinates 9. The reaction involves the double migration of phosphorus from 0-4 and is probably intramolecular. These phosphinate esters 9 on treatment with trimethylsilyl chloride and sodium iodide in acetonitrile undergo transesterification to give trimethylsilyl esters that yield the corresponding phosphinic ...