We have studied the speciation of P (SiMe3) 3 during the synthesis of colloidal InP quantum dots in the presence of proton sources. Using 31P NMR spectroscopy, we show H3-n P (SiMe3) n formation on exposure of P (SiMe3) 3 to a variety of protic reagents including water, methanol, and carboxylic acid, corroborating observations of P (SiMe3) 3 speciation during the hot injection synthesis of InP QDs. Quantitative UV–vis comparisons between ...