rac-Bis [{(diphenylphosphino)ethyl}-phenylphosphino]methane (DPPEPM) reacts with iron(II) and ruthenium(II) halides to generate complexes with folded DPPEPM coordination. The paramagnetic, fivecoordinate Fe(DPPEPM)Cl2 (1) in CD2Cl2 features a tridentate binding mode as established by 31P{1H} NMR spectroscopy. Crystal structure analysis of the analogous bromo complex, Fe(DPPEPM)Br2 (2) revealed a pseudo-octahedral, cis-α geometry at iron with DPPEPM coordinated in a tetradentate fashion. However, in CD2Cl2solution, the coordination of DPPEPM in 2 is similar to that of 1 in that one of the external phosphorus atoms is dissociated resulting in a mixture of three tridentate complexes. The chloro ruthenium complex cis-Ru(κ4-DPPEPM)Cl2 Multidentate ligands are often used to provide stabilized coordination complexes through the chelate effect. At the same time, the structure of a polydentate ligand provides means to control the bite angle, chelate ring size, and stereochemistry. The resulting electronic and steric effects can be used to enhance the reactivity of a metal center. In well-studied organometallic examples, ansa-metallocenes 1-3 and constrained-geometry compounds 4-9 provide enhanced reactivity in olefin polymerization and bond activation, while inhibiting disproportionation reactions. Similarly, bidentate phosphines enforce cis coordination geometries, even though trans configurations might be sterically or electronically preferred, and tridentate phosphines such as MeSi (CH 2 24 and FeCl 2 (DHPePE) 2 (DHPePE = 1,2-bis(bis(hydroxypropyl)phosphino)ethane). 25 The trans geometry in these compounds may limit their reactivity by suppressing processes that require cis-disposed valencies, although cis-iron(II) complexes of bidentate and meso isomers of linear tetradentate phosphines are also formed on occasion. 23,[25][26][27][28][29][30] Ligand modifications can introduce strain, as well as control the geometry and configuration of late metal polyphosphine complexes. One approach involves replacing the central ethylene unit in DPPEPE with a methylene to shorten the ligand backbone and provide the ligand