page_title: Transition metal phosphido complexes
section_title: Synthesis
hierarchical_section_title: Transition metal phosphido complexes / Synthesis
caption_attribution_description: English: Example 1 for the synthesis of phosphido complex
context_page_description: A transition metal phosphido complex is a coordination complex containing a phosphido ligand. With two lone pairs on phosphorus, the phosphido anion is comparable to an amido anion, except that the M-P distances are longer and the phosphorus atom is more sterically accessible. For these reasons, phosphido is often a bridging ligand.
context_section_description: Phosphido ligands are often installed by salt metathesis reactions. Sources of R₂P⁺ and R₂P⁻ are provided by phosphorus halides and alkali metal phosphides respectively.  Illustrative of the use of R₂PCl-like reagents is the synthesis of a diiron diphosphide:
  Na₂Fe₂(CO)₈  +  2 Ph₂PCl   →   Fe₂(PPh₂)₂(CO)₆  +  2 NaCl  +  2 CO
  The alternative salt metathesis route involves the reaction of alkali metal diorganophosphides with metal halides.  A typical phosphide reagent is lithium diphenylphosphide. 
  Alkali metal phosphides sometimes reduce the metal center.
  Another way to generate the transition-metal phosphido complexes are by direct activation of P-H bonds and is mostly seen in the late-transition-metal complexes. For example, the reaction of Vaska's complex analogs with the parent phosphine generate the following transition-metal phosphido complex.
caption: Example for the synthesis of phosphido complex
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