The incompletely condensed silsesquioxane disilanol (c-C 5 H 9 ) 7 Si 7 O 9 (OH) 2 OSiMePh 2 has been used as a backbone for the synthesis of the diphosphinite ligand (c-C 5 H 9 ) 7 Si 7 O 9 (OPPh 2 ) 2 -OSiMePh 2 (1), based on a silsesquioxane framework. By reaction with black selenium, the corresponding selenide (2) was obtained, showing a J Se-P value of 815 Hz in the 31 P NMR spectrum. DFT calculations established a good insight into the electron density of the P atoms present in the two model compounds CH 3 OPPh 2 (3) and Ph 2 P(HSiOH) 2 OPH 2 (4). The Mulliken charge distributions show a clear electron-withdrawing effect of the siloxy group, which is also present in diphosphinite ligand 1. By reaction of compound 1 with PdCl 2 -(C 6 H 5 CN) 2 , the palladium complex [PdCl 2 R(OPPh 2 ) 2 ] (5) was obtained (R ) (c-C 5 H 9 ) 7 Si 7 O 9 -OSiMePh 2 ). From a similar reaction of 1 with PtCl 2 (cod), the platinum analogue [PtCl 2 R(OPPh 2 ) 2 ] (6) could be isolated. The equimolar reaction of Mo(CO) 4 (pip) 2 (pip ) piperidine) with 1 yielded the molybdenum complex [Mo(CO) 4 R(OPPh 2 ) 2 ] (7). Ligand 1 showed a clear tendency to coordinate in a cis fashion for all complexes 5-7, as was determined by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. However, the analogous reaction of 1 with RhCl(CO) 2 dimer yielded the mononuclear trans-[RhCl(CO)(1)] (8). Complexes 5-8 have been structurally characterized as the first examples of transition-metal complexes with a silsesquioxane-based bidentate phosphinite ligand.