Phosphine oxides are typically (and appropriately) viewed as useless by-products in the Wittig reaction. They can, however, be usable in certain Wittig-like reactions. Thus,benzaldehyde has been converted to β-methoxystyrene using methoxymethyl diphenylphosphine oxide in a two step procedure. In step one the phosphine oxide is deprotonatedat −90 °C in THF/ether with lithium diisopropylamide, then the aldehyde is added. After aqueous workup, adducts are isolated. With potassium-t-butoxide the adducts are, at room temperature, converted to the styrenes. As the adducts exist as a separatable mixture of D/L compounds and a meso-form the final styrenes are obtainable as pure E- or Z-form .[5]