Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.130, No.30, 9640-9640, 2008
A cyclopentadienide analogue containing divalent germanium and a heavy cyclobutadiene-like dianion with an unusual Ge-4 core
The first isolable cyclogermylidenide salt 2 has been synthesized and isolated by facile dehalogenation of the N-heterocyclic chlorogermylene 1 with elemental potassium in ether and isolated in the form of yellow crystals in 33% yield. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that 2 crystallizes as a dimeric half-sandwich complex of aromatic C3NGe rings interconnected via intermolecular Ge(II) K dative bonds. Its yield can be improved up to 42% by gentle reduction of 1 (or its related GeCl3 complex 8) using potassium graphite. Additionally, the remarkable K2Ge4 cluster compound 9 has been isolated as a side product which consists of an unusual dianionic Ge-4 core with parallelogram configuration and pronounced aromaticity as indicated by highly negative NICS values.