The five-coordinate palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes [M(PP(3))Cl]Cl [M = Pd (1), Pt (2)] (PP(3) = tris[2-(diphenylphosphino)ethyl]phosphine) were prepared by interaction of aqueous solutions of MCl(4)(2-) salts with PP(3) in CHCl(3). Complexes 1 and 2 undergo facile chloro substitution reactions with KCN in 1:1 and 1:2 ratios to afford complexes [M(PP(3))(CN)]Cl [M = Pt (3)] and [M(PP(3))(CN)](CN) [M = Pd (4), Pt (5)] possessing M-C bonds, both in solution and in the solid state. The reaction of 1 and 2 with SnCl(2) in CDCl(3) occurs with insertion of SnCl(2) into M-Cl bonds leading to the formation of [M(PP(3))(SnCl(3))](SnCl(3)) [M = Pd (6), M = Pt (7)]. The isolation as solids of complexes 6 and 7 by addition of SnCl(2) to the precursors requires the presence of PPh(3) which activates the cleavage of M-Cl bonds, favors the SnCl(2) insertion, and does not coordinate to M in any observable extent. Solutions of 6 in CDCl(3) undergo tin dichloride elimination in higher proportion than solutions of 7. The reaction of complexes 1 and 2 with SnPh(2)Cl(2) leads to [M(PP(3))Cl](2)[SnPh(2)Cl(4)] [M = Pd (8)]. Complexes 2, 5, 7, and 8 were shown by X-ray diffraction to contain distorted trigonal bipyramidal monocations [M(PP(3))X](+) [M = Pt, X = Cl(-) (2), X = CN(-) (5), X = SnCl(3)(-) (7); M = Pd, X = Cl(-) (8)], the central P atom of PP(3) being trans to X in axial position and the terminal P donors in the equatorial plane of the bipyramids. The "preformed" catalyst 7 showed a relatively high aldehyde selectivity compared to most of the platinum catalysts.