Stereochemical Consequences of the Bismuth Atom Electron Lone Pair, a Comparison between MX(6)E and MX(6) Systems. Crystal and Molecular Structures of Tris[N-(P,P-diphenylphosphinoyl)-P,P-diphenylphosphinimidato]bismuth(III), [Bi{(OPPh(2))(2)N}(3)], -indium(III), [In{(OPPh(2))(2)N}(3)].C(6)H(6), and -gallium(III), [Ga{(OPPh(2))(2)N}(3)].CH(2)Cl(2).

The tetraphenylimidodiphosphinate [N-(P,P-diphenylphosphinoyl)-P,P-diphenylphosphinimidate] ion forms stable tris-chelates with the Bi(III), In(III), and Ga(III) cations. The crystal and molecular structures of [M{(OPPh(2))(2)N}(3)] (M = Ga, In, Bi) were determined by X-ray diffractometry. The geometry around the bismuth atom in compound 3 displays an approximately C(3)(v)() symmetry.