Abstract. The synthesisand characterization of several novel tetra and pentacoordinate catecholato metal nitrosyl complexes of the type Ir(NO)(1,2-02C.H3-3 or 4-R)-P(C.H,)3): 3-R = isoC 3H,; 4-R = COOH, H, CH 3, terC.H.; and M(NO)(1,2-02C.H3-4-R)(P(CoH,)3),: M = Ir and Rh; R = N0 2 , CHO, COOCH,; M = Rh; R = H; are reported together with their IR spectra. Two different classesof cathecolato complexes are obtained, tetracoordinate and pentacoordinate. The pentacoordinate complexes achieve tetracoordination, in solution, by spontaneous and reversible release of a phosphine molecule.The separation of the crystallinespecies seems to be determined either by the electron withdrawing or releasing power of the cathecolato ring substituents rather than by the solubility of the single species in our preparative conditions. The possibility for the pentacoordinate complexes to have a packed trigonal bipyramidgeometry with axial bent nitrosyl NO-and axial equatorial catechol ligand is supported by the easy phosphine dissociation to form the tetracoordinate, which has been observed both in solution and in field desorption mass spectra measurements. For the tetracoordinate complexes a square planar geometry with linear nitrosyl, NO+, is proposed.