More than 500 publications on the synthesis and reactivity of organosulphur transition metal complexes have appeared, but no coherent picture of the relations between the various compounds or their synthesis has emerged yet. A framework, based on simple formal conversions of thiocarbonyl and carbon disulfide complexes and the derived compound types, is now presented. The ten classes of compounds are obtained by various types of reactions of which alkylation, protonation, hydride addition, deprotonation, sulfur insertion and fragmentation are the most important.