REACTIVITY OF DIANIONIC HEXACOORDINATE GERMANIUM COMPLEXES TOWARD ORGANOMETALLIC REAGENTS - A NEW ROUTE TO ORGANOGERMANES

Lithium and potassium tris(benzene-1,2-diolato)germanates (2a and 2b, respectively) and potassium tris(butane-2,3-diolato)germanate (3) are easily prepared from GeO2 in quantitative yields. They are very reactive toward organometallic reagents, the reactivity depending on the ligands on the germanium. Complexes 2 react with an excess of Grignard reagent to give the corresponding tetraorganogermanes R4Ge while the less reactive complex 3 leads to the functional triorganogermanes R3GeX. Tetraorganogermanes can also be prepared from complex 2b by reaction with organic bromides in the presence of Mg (Barbier reaction). The influence of Cp2TiCl2 and MgBr2 on the reactivity of Grignard reagents with these complexes was also investigated: in both cases formation of triorganogermanes was favored.