There is one particular reaction studied by Grutzmacher et al. that exhibits the rearrangement of coordination character of PCO. Initially when reacting the anion with triorganyl silicon compounds, it binds via the oxygen forming the kinetic oxyphosphaalkyne product. The thermodynamic silyl phosphaketene product is generated when the kinetic product rearranges to allow PCO to coordinate through phosphorus.
The formation of the kinetic product is charged controlled and thus explains why it is formed by oxygen coordination. The oxygen atom favours a larger degree of ionic interactions as a result of its greater electronegativity. Contrastingly, the thermodynamic product of the reaction is generated under orbital control. This comes in the form of phosphorus coordination as the largest contribution in the HOMO of the anion resides on the phosphorus atom; this is clearly visible in Figure 3.