The Versatility of Tertiary Phosphane Ligands in Coordination and Organometallic Chemistry

Tertiary phosphanes form kinetically stable complexes with formal oxidation states of the metal ranging from + IV to −I (“electronic versatility”). Variously substituted phosphanes and polydentate, chelate forming phosphanes and polyphosphanes can be synthesized (“steric versatility”). Studies on complexes containing such ligands provide, inter alia, useful information about the metal‐phosphorus bond, about the steric effects of the phosphane ligand, and about reactions of coordinated phosphanes.