The study of phosphoraneiminato ligands is important because it has been inferred that these ligands help stabilize high valent metal complexes due to the strong electron donation of these ligands to a metal center.  I have been investigating this idea by performing experiments with this ligand and a number of first row transition metal halides (i.e. Ni(II)Cl2 and Cr(III)Cl3.  The reaction of Ni(II)Cl2(THF)1.5  with 2 equivalents of Ph3P=NSiMe3 in acetonitrile at room temperature generates NiCl2(NHPPh3)2. I believe this reaction is generating a few products based on a precipitate that forms during the reaction and based on certain resonances viewed in both 1H and 31P NMR spectra.  Blue x-ray quality crystals were produced from neat, concentrated dichloromethane solution conforming the formation of the Bis-phosphoraneiminato adduct (NiCl2(NHPPh3)2).  These crystals can also be formed from using 2 equivalents of Ph3P=NH.  These crystals exhibit a distorted tetrahedral geometry based on X-ray crystallography.  This geometry is unusual for a Ni(II) d8 species.  Due to secondary products, % yield and other characterization techniques have been a challenge.  On going efforts include the isolation and charcterization of pure product as well as the secondary products.  In conjunction with this, reactivity with Cr(III)Cl3 and Ph3P=NH will also being investigated