Platinum group metal chalcogenides find extensive applications in catalysis and in the electronic industry. To develop an efficient low temperature clean preparation of these materials, molecular routes have been explored. Thus the chemistry of mononuclear organochalcogenolates of the type [M(ER’)₂(PR₃)₂], binuclear benzylselenolates, [M₂Cl₂(μ-SeBz)₂(PR₃)₂], allylpalladium complexes [Pd₂(μ-ER)₂(η³-C₄H₇)₂] and palladium/platinum sulphido/selenido-bridged complexes, [M₂(μ-E)₂L₄] (M = Pd or Pt; E = S, Se or Te; L = tertiary phosphine ligand) has been investigated. All the complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, NMR (¹H,³¹P,⁷⁷Se,¹⁹⁵Pt) spectroscopy and in some cases by X-ray diffraction. The thermal behaviour of these complexes has been studied by TGA. The pyrolysis of allylpalladium complexes in refluxing xylene yields Pd₄E as established by analysis and XRD patterns.