1,1,1-Tris(diphenylphosphinomethyl)ethane, also called Triphos, is an

organophosphorus compound Organophosphorus compounds are organic compounds containing phosphorus. They are used primarily in pest control as an alternative to chlorinated hydrocarbons that persist in the environment. Some organophosphorus compounds are highly effective in ...

with the formula CH₃C H₂PPh₂sub>3. An air-sensitive white solid, it is a

tripodal ligand Tripodal ligands are tri- and tetradentate ligands. They are popular in research in the areas of coordination chemistry and homogeneous catalysis. Because the ligands are polydentate, they do not readily dissociate from the metal centre. Many trip ...

("three-legged") of idealized C_3v symmetry. It was originally prepared by the reaction of

sodium diphenylphosphide Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable is ...

and CH₃C(CH₂Cl)₃: :3 Ph₂PNa + CH₃C(CH₂Cl)₃ → CH₃C H₂PPh₂sub>3 + 3 NaCl It forms complexes with many

transition metal In chemistry, a transition metal (or transition element) is a chemical element in the d-block of the periodic table (groups 3 to 12), though the elements of group 12 (and less often group 3) are sometimes excluded. They are the elements that can ...

s, usually as a

. Such complexes are used to analyze mechanistic aspects of homogeneous catalysts. For example,

rhodium Rhodium is a chemical element with the symbol Rh and atomic number 45. It is a very rare, silvery-white, hard, corrosion-resistant transition metal. It is a noble metal and a member of the platinum group. It has only one naturally occurring isoto ...

forms complexes with CH₃C H₂PPh₂sub>3 like triphos)RhCl(C₂H₄) triphos)RhH(C₂H₄) and triphos)Rh(C₂H₅)(C₂H₄) provide model intermediates in the

catalytic Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...

cycle for hydrogenation of alkenes. Triphos sometimes behaves as a

bidentate ligand In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule (functional group) that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding with the metal generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's electr ...

. Illustrative cases include ''fac''- n(CO)₃Br(η²-triphos)and (CO)₄(η²-triphos) where M is Cr, Mo, or W. Triphos serves as a tridentate-bridging ligand in an

icosahedral In geometry, an icosahedron ( or ) is a polyhedron with 20 faces. The name comes and . The plural can be either "icosahedra" () or "icosahedrons". There are infinitely many non- similar shapes of icosahedra, some of them being more symmetrica ...

Au₁₃ cluster. The phosphine bridges three chlorogold(I) groups to form the tripod molecule of trichloro-1,1,1-(diphenylphosphinomethyl)ethanetrigold(I), CH₃C H₂PPh₂AuClsub>3.

Related ligands

* Tris(aminomethyl)ethane, a tripodal triamine (CH₃C(CH₂NH₂)₃) * Bis(diphenylphosphinoethyl)phenylphosphine (PhP(C₂H₄PPh₂)₂)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tris(diphenylphosphinomethyl)ethane, 1,1,1- Tertiary phosphines Phenyl compounds Chelating agents Tridentate ligands