Abstract: This review summarized various dialkylphosphinic salts with different structure and discussed the latest advancement in preparing dialkylphosphinic salts. According to the alkyl structure in molecule, dialkylphosphinic salts could be classified into unbranched-, branched-, aryl-, cycloalkyl-, heterocyclic- phosphinic salts, and dimmer of dialkylphosphinic salts. The preparation of the salts could be carried out with AlCl3 catalytic method, Grignard reagent, or free radical addition. The AlCl3 catalytic method had disadvantages of low yield and environmental pollution. The reaction using Grignard reagent was complex, which was impractical for large-scale manufacturing. Free radical addition method was relatively simple and suitable for industrial production.

Key words: flame retardant, dialkylphosphinic salt, structure, synthesis