Professor David Allen is Emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Sheffield, UK. His main research interests are in phosphonium salts and related compounds. Current interests include the preparation of phosphonioalkyl derivatives of biologically active molecules, the phosphonioalkyl group facilitating the passage of the biologically active agent through cell membranes, and studies of the formation of biologically active surface-functionalised gold nanoparticles. Professor John C Tebby is a retired organophosphorus chemist, formerly at Keele University, UK.

• Chapter 1: Phosphines and Related Tervalent Phosphorus Systems;1: Introduction;2: Phosphines;2.1: Preparation;2.2: Reactions of Phosphines;3: p?-Bonded Phosphorus Compounds;4: Phosphirenes, Phospholes and Phosphinines;References;Chapter 2: Phosphonium Salts and Phosphine Chalcogenides;1: Phosphonium Salts;1.1: Preparation;1.2: Reactions of Phosphonium Salts;2: Phosphine Chalcogenides;2.1: Preparation;2.2: Reactions;2.3: Structural and Physical Aspects;2.4: Phosphine Chalcogenides as Ligands;References;Chapter 3: Tervalent Phosphorus Acid Derivatives;1: Introduction;2: Halogenophosphines;3: Tervalent Phosphorus Esters;3.1: Phosphinites;3.2: Phosphonites;3.3: Phosphites;4: Tervalent Phosphorus Amides;4.1: Aminophosphines;4.2: Phosphoramidites and Related Compounds;References;Chapter 4: Quinquevalent Phosphorus Acids;1: Introduction;2: Phosphoric Acids and Their Derivatives;2.1: Synthesis of Phosphoric Acids and Their Derivatives;2.2: Reaction of Phosphoric Acids and Their Derivatives;2.3: Selected Biological Aspects;3: Phosphonic and Phosphinic Acids;3.1: Synthesis of Phosphonic and Phosphinic Acids and Their Derivatives;3.2: Reactions of Phosphonic and Phosphinic Acids and Their Derivatives;3.3: Selected Biological Aspects;4: Structure;References;Chapter 5: Pentacoordinated and Hexacoordinated Compounds;Summary;1: Introduction;2: Acyclic Phosphoranes;3: Monocyclic Phosphoranes;4: Bicyclic Phosphoranes;5: Hexacoordinate Phosphorus Compounds;References;Chapter 6: Nucleic Acids and Nucleotides: Mononucleotides;1: Introduction;2: Mononucleotides;2.1: Nucleoside Acyclic Phosphates;3: Nucleoside Polyphosphates;3.1: Polyphosphorylated Nucleosides;3.2: Nucleoside Pyrophosphates;References;Chapter 7: Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids;Oligo- and Poly-nucleotides;1: Introduction;1.1: Oligonucleotide Synthesis;1.2: RNA Synthesis;1.3: The Synthesis of Modified Oligodeoxyribonucleotides and Modified oribonucleotides;2: Aptamers;3: Oligonucleotide Conjugates;3.1: Oligonucleotide-Peptide Conjugates;3.2: DNA Templated Organic Synthesis;3.3: Oligonucleotide-Metal Conjugates;3.4: Charge Transport;3.5: Fluorescence;3.6: Miscellaneous Conjugates;4: Nucleic Acid Structures;References;Chapter 8: Phosphazenes;1: Introduction;2: Linear Phosphazenes;3: Cyclophosphazenes;4: Polyphosphazenes;5: Crystal Structures of Phosphazenes and Related Compounds;References;