A Novel Synthesis of p-Nitrobenzylphosphonic Acid and Its Action on Alkaline Phosphatase

p-Nitrobenzylphosphonic acid was obtained via a nucleophilic substitution of nitrobenzyl bromide with trimethyl phosphite as opposed to nitration of benzylphosphonic acid. This compound is a competitive inhibitor of alkaline phosphatase (KI ∼ 125 μM) and has potential to inhibit a wide range of other phosphatases including serine/threonine phosphatases and tyrosine phosphatases