A Ruthenium Dihydrogen Germylene Complex and the Catalytic Synthesis of Digermoxane

• Published in: Organometallics Vol. 34; no. 16; pp. 4158 - 4163
• Main Authors: Smart, Katharine A, Mothes-Martin, Emmanuelle, Vendier, Laure, Perutz, Robin N, Grellier, Mary, Sabo-Etienne, Sylviane
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: WASHINGTON American Chemical Society 24.08.2015; Amer Chemical Soc
• Subjects: Chemical Sciences; Chemistry; Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear; Chemistry, Organic; Coordination chemistry; Physical Sciences; Science & Technology; ELEMENTS; POTENTIAL BASIS-SETS; SI; SILYLENE COMPLEXES; REACTIVITY; COORDINATION; BOND ACTIVATION; POLARIZATION FUNCTIONS; SIGMA-COMPLEXES; GE
• ISSN: 0276-7333; 1520-6041
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.organomet.5b00570

A germylene complex with a labile η2-H2 coligand, [RuH2(GePh2)­(η2-H2)­(PCy3)2] (2), was isolated in very good yield from the reaction of the bis­(dihydrogen) complex [RuH2(η2-H2)2(PCy3)2] (1) with Ph2GeH2. The hydrolytic synthesis of 1,1,3,3-tetraphenyldigermoxane, (HPh2Ge)2O, was catalyzed by 2, 1, and the tricyclopentylphosphine analogue 1 Cyp . Coordination of digermoxane by ruthenium led to a complex best formulated as [RuH2({η2-H-GePh2}2O)­(PCy3)2] on the basis of X-ray, NMR, IR, and DFT studies.