The preparation of four-membered aminophosphine (PN) chelates from common metal precursors has largely evaded realization because of the ring strain associated with these species. We report a straightforward approach to the synthesis of such PN metallacycles using simple alpha-PN ligands analogous to the popular class of small-bite-angle diphosphinomethane ligands. It is demonstrated that bulky phosphine substituents are important to the formation of these chelates.