Tri(1-adamantyl)phosphine, a simple yet long-absent homoleptic phosphine, has finally been prepared. The simplicity of this compound beguiles its exceptional properties. The electron-releasing character eclipses all other alkylphosphines. The phosphine geometry and overall size are also more compact than anticipated, which may occur as a result of dispersion forces. We believe the donicity, marked resistance towards cyclometallation or P−C bond scission, and also substantial polarizability engendered by the three diamondoid fragments together account for the phenomenal performance of Pd-PAd 3 catalysts during Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions. A correlation analysis is also described that provides support for polarizability as a potentially general influence on the properties of tertiary phosphines. 1 Introduction 2 Synthesis of Tri(1-adamantyl)phosphine 3 Reactions of Tri(1-adamantyl)phosphine Palladium Complexes 4 Electronic and Steric Properties of Tri(1-adamantyl)phosphine 5 Conclusion Key words phosphine, ligand, catalysis, cross-coupling, palladium, diamondoid Liye Chen (right) is originally from Dalian, China. In 2008, he obtained a BS in chemistry from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China and then completed post-undergraduate research at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry. Currently, Liye is a Ph.D. candidate at Princeton in Brad Carrow's laboratory and is pursuing catalyst and reaction discovery and development. Brad Carrow (left) obtained his B.S. in chemistry from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2003. He received his in Ph.D. in 2011 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign following work in the laboratories of John F. Hartwig. After completing his graduate studies, he was a postdoctoral fellow and then an assistant professor in the laboratories of Kyoko Nozaki at the University of Tokyo. Since Fall 2013, he has been an assistant professor of chemistry at Princeton University. His research interests revolve around transition-metal catalysis in the context of sustainable organic synthesis, polymer synthesis, and strong bond activation.