Keywords: Phosphorus heterocycles / Phospholides / Nickel complexes / Reductions / NMR spectroscopy Bis(phosphonio)benzo[c]phospholides (isophosphindolides) alkali metals followed a more complicated course and gave a mixture of 2, 3, and the substitution product 8, which was 1a,b have been found to react with magnesium or alkali metal naphthalenides MC 10 H 8 (M = Li, Na, K) with reduction further reduced to the phosphanido-substituted benzo-[c]phospholide 9. The latter could be formed selectively by of one or both of the phosphonio groups. The main products are the mono-or bis(phosphanyl)-substituted heterocycles 2, first converting 1a into 8 by treatment with PhNa and then treating this with lithium. NMR data of the phosphane-3, 6, 7, which have been characterized by in situ NMR studies and in some cases isolated. Subsequent reaction of 2 with substituted benzo[c]phospholides and the structural features of 4 are discussed. excess [Ni(CO) 4 ] gave the complex 4, which has been characterized by X-ray diffractometry. Reactions of 1a with proceed with selective cleavage of one PϪC bond in each