This article describes the synthesis and coordination chemistry of five broad types of ligands containing both phosphorus and sulfur donor centres, reviewing the literature up to the end of 1997. Phosphino-thiolate ligands combine a phosphine centre with a thiol functionality (usually deprotonated on coordination); phosphino-thioether ligands are similar in overall appearance, but contain a thioether group in place of the thiol functionality. Phosphino-thioformamides (of general formula R2PC(=S)NHR′) and phosphino-dithioformates (of general formula R2PCS2-) belong to the larger class of hetero-allylic ligands, being the phosphorus equivalents of thioureas and dithiocarbamates respectively. Finally, diphosphine monosulfides are related to the well-known diphosphine ligands (e.g. dppe) by the oxidation of one of the two phosphorus(III) centres to a phosphine sulfide. The review contains 340 references and 18 endnotes. © 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.
