An X-ray diffraction study of single crystals of the trimethylphosphine complexes of BCI3, BBr3 and BI3 has shown the chloro and bromo complexes to have P21/m monoclinic unit cells with Z= 2, and the iodo complex to have a Prima orthorhombic unit cell with Z=4. Unit-cell parameters are as follows:TMP.BCIa, a=6.957(1), b=10.630(1), c=6"476(1) A, fl=112.76(1)°; TMP.BBra, a=7"091 (2), b= 10"996 (2), c=6"672 (1) .~, fl= 112-38 (1)°; TMP.BI3, a= 13-033 (1), b= 11.636 (1), c=7-282 (1) ,~. The structures were solved with the help of three-dimensional sharpened Patterson functions and show the chloro and bromo compounds to be isomorphous. Refinement of 761,855 and 567 observed reflections for the chloro, bromo and iodo compounds, respectively, using anisotropic thermal factors yielded conventional R values of 0"044, 0-047 and 0"033. The molecules are shown to possess a P-B dative bond, a staggered conformation and effective 3m (Cao) symmetry. Average P-C bond lengths for the chloro and bromo complexes are 1"81 (1) A while the P-C distance in the iodo complex is 1.845 (12) A. The three P-B distances are 1.957 (5), 1.924 (12) and 1.918 (15) A, respectively, while the boron-halogen bond distances average 1.855 (5), 2.022 (7) and 2.249 (12) A. The C-P-C bond angles are very nearly tetrahedral, with no trend noticeable. The X-B-X angles are somewhat larger and close to 111 ° and also show no trend.