Lanthanide tri-and tetrathionate containing species have been prepared in solution by the reaction of potassium tri-and tetrathionate with lanthanide perchlorates. Unstable solid materials from these reactions have been examined by infrared spectroscopy and electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI MS). There was evidence of the formation of S3O6 2and S4O6 2coordination to lanthanide ions, but it was not possible to produce material suitable for single crystal x-ray studies. The reaction of ethanol solutions from Ln(ClO4)3 / K2SnO6 (n = 3,4) with triphenylphosphine oxide yielded crystalline materials which have been characterised by infrared spectroscopy, electrospray mass spectrometry, elemental analysis and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The trithionate complexes [Ln(S3O6)(Ph3PO)4]ClO4.3H2O (Ln = Nd, Tb) have been isolated. The tetrathionate / Ph3PO reaction gave rise to significant disproportionation giving a small quantity of [Nd(S4O6)(Ph3PO)4(H2O)]ClO4, a different isomer of [Nd(S3O6)(Ph3PO)4H2O]ClO4, neodymium sulfate and elemental sulfur. The crystal structures of the two isomers of [Nd(S3O6)(Ph3PO)4H2O]ClO4 and that of [Nd(S4O6)(Ph3PO)4H2O]ClO4 are reported. The structure of [Er(H2O)5(Ph3PO)2].5Ph3PO.3[ClO-4], formed during the attempted preparation of erbium trithionate complexes, is also described. Theoretical Observed Ethanolic solutions of lanthanide trithionate species from the reaction of lanthanide perchlorates and the potassium trithionate, described above, were added to solutions of triphenylphosphine oxide. The bulk materials isolated by fractional crystallisation of the solutions gave elemental analyses which indicated that [Ln(S3O6)(Ph3PO)4(H2O)]ClO4. 2H2O could be produced up to Ln = Tb. The infrared spectra of these materials are consistent with the formation of coordination complexes. The IR spectra show bands due to coordinated water,the P=O stretch at around 1140 cm-1 , and a complex series of intense absorptions at around 1290, 1090, 1040 and 660 cm-1 due to SO and Cl-O stretches. The P=O stretch is significantly lower than observed in free Ph3PO (1190 cm-1). The isolated complexes are poorly soluble in most common organic solvents and it has not been possible to obtain NMR spectra in any organic solvent but methanol. The 31 P NMR spectra of methanolic solutions of the complexes showed a single signal close to that of free Ph3PO. The absence of significant paramagnetic shifts indicates that in this solvent extensive dissociation occurs on dissolution. Fractional crystallisation of the original ethanol solution of the Nd complex gave crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction studies. Full descriptions of the data collection and refinement are given in the supplementary information, as are figures of the structures with thermal ellipsoids at 50% probability together with full listings of bond distances and angles. The crystalline material was shown to be aqua trithionato- 4 O,O,Oʹ,Oʹ tetrakis-triphenylphosphine oxide neodymium(III) perchlorate. The cation, [Nd(S3O6)(Ph3PO)4)(H2O)] + , is 9-coo...