An unusual cyclization reaction in the chemistry of perchloroorganic compounds of silicon and germanium. Synthesis and crystal structure of perchloro(2,2'-biphenylene)diphenyl-silane and -germane

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0022-328X(90)80062-5

The reactions of SiCl4 and GeCl4 (or(Ph_Cl)3SiCl and (Ph_Cl)3GeCl where Ph_Cl denotes Cl5C6) with Ph_ClMgCl give perchloro(2,2'-biphenylene)diphenyl-silane (2) and -germane (3), respectively.The structure of both strained compounds have been determined by X-ray crystallography of their benzene solvates.The photobromination of germane 3 with Br2 results in cleavage of one germanium-biphenylene bond to give the highly crowded bromo(2-(2'-bromooctachlorobiphenyl))bis(pentachlorophenyl)germane (4).