Cycloaddition Reactions of an Acetylene-Linked Bis(germaethene)1,2

Organogermanium Analogues of Alkenes, Alkynes, 1,3-Dienes, Allenes, and Vinylidenes

In this review, the latest achievements in the field of multiply bonded organogermanium derivatives, mostly reported within the last two decades, are presented. The isolable Ge-containing analogues of alkenes, alkynes, 1,3-dienes, allenes, and vinylidenes are discussed, and for each class of unsaturated organogermanium compounds, the most representative examples are given. The synthetic approaches toward homonuclear multiply bonded combinations solely consisting of germanium atoms, and their heteronuclear variants containing germanium and other group 14 elements, both acyclic and cyclic, are discussed. The peculiar structural features and nonclassical bonding nature of the abovementioned compounds are discussed based on their spectroscopic and structural characteristics, in particular their crystallographic parameters (double bond length, trans-bending at the doubly bonded centers, and twisting about the double bond). The prospects for the practical use of the title compounds in synthetic and catalytic fields are also briefly discussed.

Germacyclobutenes: generation by 1,1-carbalumination or 1,1-carbagallation and their photophysical properties

Aluminium- and gallium-functionalised alkenylalkynylgermanes, R(1) 2 Ge(C≡C-R(2) )[C{E(CMe3 )2 }=C(H)-R(2) ] (E=Al, Ga), exhibit a close contact between the coordinatively unsaturated Al or Ga atoms and the α-C atoms of the intact ethynyl groups. These interactions activate the Ge-C(alkynyl) bonds and favour the thermally induced insertion of these C atoms into the E-C(vinyl) bonds by means of 1,1-carbalumination or 1,1-carbagallation reactions. For the first time the latter method was shown to be a powerful alternative to known metallation processes. Germacyclobutenes with an unsaturated GeC3 heterocycle and endo- and exocyclic C=C bonds resulted from concomitant Ge-C bond formation to the β-C atoms of the alkynyl groups. These heterocyclic compounds show an interesting photoluminescence behaviour with Stokes shifts of >110 nm. The fascinating properties are based on extended π-delocalisation including σ*-orbitals localised at Ge and Al. High-level quantum chemical DFT and TD-DFT calculations for an Al compound were applied to elucidate their absorption and emission properties. They revealed a biradical excited state with the transfer of a π-electron into the empty p-orbital at Al and a pyramidalisation of the metal atom.

1,2-Dialkynyldisilenes: silicon analogues of (E)-enediyne

Reductions of bulky alkynyl-substituted dihalosilanes, BbtSiX(2)(C[triple bond]CR) (Bbt = 2,6-bis[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]-4-[tris(trimethylsilyl)methyl]phenyl, R = SiMe(3) or Ph groups, X = halogen), with 2.0 equiv. of lithium naphthalenide gave the first stable 1,2-dialkynyl-substituted disilenes, which constituted extended pi-conjugated systems between Si=Si bond and ethynylene units.

1,1-Bis[4-(trifluoro-meth-yl)phen-yl]germetane

The inter-nal C-Ge-C bond angle in the germacyclo-butane ring of the title compound, C(17)H(14)F(6)Ge or [Ge(C(3)H(6))(C(7)H(4)F(3))(2)], is 77.8 (3)°. The -CF(3) groups display rotational disorder [occupancies 0.604 (14):0.396 (14) and 0.410 (6):0.411 (6):0.179 (3)] and the germacyclo-butane ring also shows disorder [occupancies 0.604 (14):0.396 (14)].