This review summarizes the recent progress in coordination and organometallic chemistry involving metal complexes of chelating diarylamido phosphine ligands, including bidentate amido phosphine [NP](-), tridentate amido diphosphine [PNP](-), and tridentate diamido phosphine [NPN](2-). Consistent with the anticipated hybrid characteristic of the ligands, diarylamido phosphine complexes that have been characterized thus far involve both soft and hard main-group and transition metals. The inherent rigidity and robustness imposed by the o-phenylene backbone of the ligands are beneficial to the development of reaction chemistry of these diarylamido phosphine complexes. Preparation of the ligand precursors and the corresponding metal complexes and the subsequent reactivity studies are discussed. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.