6. "Metal Complexes of Mesitylphosphine: Synthesis, Structure, and Spectroscopy," Igor V. Kourkine, Stanislav V. Maslennikov, Robert Ditchfield, David S. Glueck, Glenn P. A. Yap, Louise M. Liable-Sands, and Arnold L. Rheingold, Inorganic Chemistry 1996, 35, 6708-6716.

A series of primary phosphine homoleptic complexes [ML₄]ⁿ⁺X_n (1, M = Ni, n = 0; 2, M = Pd, n = 2, X = BF₄; 3, M = Cu, n = 1, X = PF₆; 4, M = Ag, n = 1, X = BF₄; L = PH₂Mes, Mes = 2,4,6-Me₃C₆H₂] was prepared from mesitylphosphine and Ni(COD)₂, [Pd(NCMe)₄][BF₄]₂, [Cu(NCMe)₄]PF₆ and AgBF₄, respectively. Reactions of 1-4 with MeC(CH₂PPh₂)₃ (triphos) or [P(CH₂CH₂PPh₂)₃] (tetraphos) afforded the derivatives [M(L')L]ⁿ⁺X_n (L' = triphos; 6, M = Ni, n = 0; 7, M = Cu, n = 1, X = PF₆; 8, M = Ag, n = 1, X = BF₄; L' = tetraphos, 9, M = Pd, n = 2, X = BF₄). Addition of NOBF₄ to 1 yielded the nitrosyl compound [NiL₃(NO)]BF₄. The solution structure and dynamics of 1-9 were studied by ³¹P NMR spectroscopy (including the first reported analyses of a 12-spin system for 1-2). Complexes 1, 3, 6, and 7.solvent were characterized crystallographically. The structural and spectroscopic studies suggest that the coordination properties of L are dominated by its relatively small cone angle and that the basicity of L is comparable to that of more commonly used tertiary phosphines.