Abstract The conversion of a commercially available polystyrene supported phosphine oxide into synthetically useful polymeric halophosphonium salts using oxalyl chloride/bromide takes place at room temperature in 5 min and generates only CO and CO 2 as by-products. The polymeric halophosphonium salts so obtained are useful reagents for Appel halogenations and other dehydrative coupling reactions. This gives rise to a simple three- ...