This study examined the reaction of in situ deprotonated acetonitrile with different chlorophosphines ClPR(2) (5a-d) to find new nitrile functionalized bis(diphenylphosphino)methane (dppm) ligands. Depending on the steric and electronic demand of the phosphines, very different and unexpectedproducts (1b, 6, 9b and 11) were found. In the case of aryl-substituted phosphines (ClPPh(2) (5a) and ClPMes(2)