The octaphosphine {cyclo-(P 4 t Bu 3 )} 2 (1) possesses a multifaceted coordination chemistry. The predominant binding mode is a P,P-chelate, e.g., in the monometallic chelate complex [MLL′(1κ 2 P 2 ,P 4 ′)] in which the ligand 1 adopts a gauche conformation. Examples include square-planar (M = Rh I , L = CO, L′ = Cl (2), M = Pd II , L = L′ = Cl (3), M = Pt II , L = L′ = Cl (9)), tetrahedral (M = Co −I , L = NO, L′ = CO (4)), and trigonal-planar complexes [ML(1-κ 2 P 2 ,P 4 ′)] (M = Pd 0 , L = PPh 3 , (5), M = Cu I , L = Br (6)). With 2 equiv of [CuBr(SMe 2 )], a dinuclear complex [(CuBr) 2 (1-κ 2 P 2 ,P 2 ′,κ 2 P 4 ,P 4 ′)] (7) was obtained which features a synperiplanar conformation of the octaphosphine. A second coordination mode was also observed in [PtCl 2 (1-κ 2 P 1 ,P 2 ′)] (10) in which the bridge phosphorus atom in octaphosphine 1 is involved in the chelation, with the ligand in an antiperiplanar conformation. Thermolysis of selected complexes showed them to be suitable candidates for the generation of phosphorus-rich metal phosphides MP x (x > 1).