2-Cyanoethyldiphenylphosphine (L) was synthesized from diphenylphosphine and acrylonitrile using an aqueous base as a catalyst. This ligand reacted with Pt(II) and Pd(II) salts to yield complexes of the stoichioretry MX2L2 (X = Cl, Br, NCS). In these complexes the ligand was found to function as a monodentate phosphine. infrared spectroscopic evidence suggested that the platinum complexes are of cis and the palladium complexes of trans geometries.A complex of the stoichiometry Pd2Cl4L2 was isolated from a 1:1. mole ratio of PdCl2 to L. Spectroscopic evidence suggested that the complex is a ligand bridged dieter which utilizes the phosphorus and nitrogen lone pairs of L. The nitrile groups in this complex reacted rapidly with alcohols to yield coordinated imino-ether groups.

Phosphorescent transition metal complexes make up an important group of compounds that continues to attract intense research owing to their intrinsic bioimaging applications that arise from bright emissions, relatively long excited state lifetimes, and large stokes shifts. Now for biomaging assay a model organism is required which must meet certain criteria for practical applications. The organism needs to be small, with a high turn-over of progeny (high fecundity), a short lifecycle, and low maintenance and assay costs. Our model organism C. elegans met all the criteria. The ideal phosphor has low toxicity in the model organism. In this work the strongly phosphorescent platinum (II) pyrophosphito-complex was tested for biological applications as a potential in vivo hypoxia sensor. The suitability of the phosphor was derived from its water solubility, bright phosphorescence at room temperature, and long excited state lifetime (~ 10 µs). The applications branched off to include testing of C. elegans survival when treated with the phosphor, which included lifespan and fecundity assays, toxicity assays including the determination of the LC50, and recovery after paraquat poisoning. Quenching experiments were performed using some well knows oxygen derivatives, and the quenching mechanisms were derived from Stern-Volmer plots. Reaction stoichiometries were derived from Job plots, while percent scavenging (or antioxidant) activities were determined graphically. The high photochemical reactivity of the complex was clearly manifested in these reactions.