It has blood-red color, indicative of destabilized ylides.

The first step is P-alkylation with chloromethyl methyl ether.

In the second step, the resulting phosphonium salt is deprotonated.

This reagent reacts with a ketone or aldehyde in a Wittig reaction to give an enol ether, which can be converted to the aldehyde by acid-induced hydrolysis.

The initial report of the reaction demonstrated its use on the steroid tigogenone.