The prolonged photo-Arbuzov reaction (3 weeks, Hg lamp) of 1,3,5-trichloro-benzene with a large excess of trimethyl phosphite (as a solvent) at 508 gives moderate yields of dimethyl (3,5-dichlorophenyl)phosphonate (1; 14.5%), tetramethyl (5-chloro-1,3-phenylene)bis[phosphonate] (2; 35.4%), and hexamethyl (benzene-1,3,5-triyl)tris[phosphonate] (3; 30.1%). The products can be separated by fractional distillation. Acid hydrolysis of the esters gives almost quantitative yields of the corresponding phosphonic acids 4 ± 6. Reduction of the esters 1 ± 3 by LiAlH 4 in tetrahydrofuran affords the primary phosphines (3,5-dichlorophenyl)phosphine (7; 46.5%), (5-chloro-1,3-phenylene)bis[phosphine] (8; 34.5%) and (benzene-1,3,5-triyl)tris[phosphine] (9; 25.2% yield). In the crude reduction products from 2 (preparation of 8) and from 3 (preparation of 9), (3-chlorophenyl)phosphine and (1,3-phenylene)bis[phosphine], respectively, are observed as by-products. All compounds are characterized by standard analytical, spectroscopic, and (for 1, 7, and 8) structural techniques. The arrangement of the molecules in the crystal structures of 7 and 8 suggest that H-bonding between the primary arylphosphines is virtually insignificant for the packing of the components. This is in marked contrast to the importance of H-bonding for the supramolecular chemistry of arylamines. The new primary polyphosphines and polyphosphonic acids are to be employed in the construction of extended arrays.Introduction. ± Arylphosphines play an important role in many areas of contemporary chemistry. Tertiary phosphines Ar 3 P are the most prominent class of ligands for transition metals, and their complexes are used as homogeneous catalysts in a large variety of reactions [1]. They are also the base chemicals for many reagents in organic synthesis including phosphonium salts [2], phosphonium ylides [2 ± 4], phosphine boranes [2] [5], and phosphine oxides and sulfides [2]. Secondary phosphines Ar 2 PH are less common in catalysts and also as reagents, but their PÀH group offers an additional functionality for the design of more sophisticated substitution patterns and for oxidation products. Finally, primary phosphines ArPH 2 are the least developed series of arylphosphines with still very limited areas of application [6 ± 8]. However, their potential as synthons is even greater owing to two reactive PÀH functions in addition to the nucleophilic/donor center at the P-atom.Only a relatively small number of primary arylphosphines has been prepared and fully characterized [9 ± 11], and this is particularly true for aromatic hydrocarbons with more than one primary phosphine function [6] [12 ± 23]. For benzene itself, the complete set of primary phosphines has the general formula C 6 H n (PH 2 ) 6Àn comprising a total of 12 species, of which only less than half are known (Fig. 1).Current interest in advanced materials with tailored structures and properties has attracted increasing attention to polyphosphinoarenes with a rigid skeleton, on which new structural motifs...