Synthesis and characterization of rhodium complexes with phosphine-stabilized germylenes

The reaction of phosphine-stabilized germylenes (1a,b) with dimer complex [Rh(2)(μ-Cl)(2)(COD)(2)] leads to the corresponding phosphine-germylene-Rh(I) complexes (2a,b). Interestingly, the stability of these complexes depends strongly on the nature of the substituent of the germylene fragment. Indeed, the complex (2a) with the chloro-germylene ligand isomerizes into a metallacycle rhodium complex (3a) via germylene insertion into the Rh-Cl bond, while the complex with the phenyl-substituted germylene (2b) was isolated and represents the first stable Rh(I)-germylene complex with a Rh-Cl bond.