)] (E = Si, R = Ph; E = Sn, R = Ph, Bu) are rather similar. While they contain six-coordinate cobalt with the formal oxidation state of cobalt being +III the coordination geometry is not octahedral: the heteroelement E deviates from the position which it would have in octahedral coordination by around 40°while the other five ligands, three phosphorus and two hydrogen, have the expected interligand angles of around 90°and 180°, respectively. The deviation of the heteroelement E is such that it approaches the