Metal-assisted P-H bond formation: A step towards the hydrogenation of white phosphorus

An overview of the chemistry of transition metal complexes containing P-H bonds is presented. Central to this microreview are those compounds in which the P-H bond is assembled by reactions entailing the transfer of one or more hydrogen atoms to white phosphorus or to Px fragments re- sulting from P4 activation and degradation within the coordination sphere of a transition metal complex. The relevance of these processes to the as yet unaccomplished hydrogenation of white phosphorus is briefly discussed