Molecular structures and reactivities of digermiranes and azadigermiridines

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/om00157a014

Reaction of tetrakis(2,6-diethylphenyl)digermene (2) with diazomethane produces 1,1,2,2-tetrakis(2,6-diethylphenyl)digermirane (3). The photolysis of 3 with a high-pressure mercury lamp yields germene 13 and germylene 14. The digermirane 3 reacts with pyridine N-oxide, sulfur, and selenium to yield the insertion products of O, S, and Se into the germanium-germanium bond. 2,2,3,3-Tetrakis(2,6-diethylphenyl)-1-phenylazadigermiridine (5) is also prepared by the reaction of 2 with phenyl azide. The structures of the digermirane 3 and the azadigermiridine 5 have been determined by X-ray crystal analyses. Both 3 and 5 have relatively short germanium-germanium bond distances of 2.379 (1) ? and nearly planar arrangements of C_Ar, C_Ar, and Ge atoms around each germanium.