Several Group VI tetracarbonyl phosphine and tertiary amine complexes [M(CO)(4) L-2, M = Cr, Mo, W, L-2 = 2PPh(3), dppm, dppe, dppp, dppb, bpy, phen, dppf] were synthesized in minutes in the microwave at moderate temperature, atmospheric pressure, and utilizing NaBH4 as a catalyst. The reactions were optimized by careful solvent selection. The octahedral complexes were isolated in percent yields ranging from 17 to 95. The lower temperatures, shorter reaction times, benign solvents, and lower pressures as compared to the traditional thermal syntheses provide a rapid, eco-friendly synthetic route to these common Group VI complexes. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.