1-trimethylsilylphosphirane as a ligand and as a stable masked reagent for phosphirane.

1-Trimethylsilylphosphirane, C2H4PSiMe3, has been prepared on a multi gram scale from P(SiMe3)3 via CICH2CH2P(SiMe3)2. C2H4PSiMe3 is readily susceptible to protonolysis forming the thermally unstable parent phosphirane, C2H4PH, in good yields. Reaction of C2H4PSiMe3 with fac-M(CO)3(CH3CN)3 (M = Cr, Mo) or Fe(eta5-C5H5)(eta6-C6H6) give rise tofac-M(CO)3(C2H4PSiMe3)3 and Fe(eta5-C5H5)(C2H4PSiMe3)3 respectively. Protonolysis of the free or coordinated 1-trimethylsilylphosphirane readily causes P-Si cleavage to give rise to the parent C2H4PH or the respective complexes,fac-M(CO)3(C2H4PH)3 andfac-Fe(eta5-C5H5)(C2H4PH)3 in situ. All new complexes are characterised by analytical and spectroscopic methods and the X-ray crystal structures of fac-Cr(CO)3(C2H4PSiMe3)3 and fac-Mo(CO)3(C2H4PH)3 have also been determined.