A Germylene/Borane Lewis Pair and the Remarkable C=O Bond Cleavage Reaction toward Isocyanate and Ketone Molecules

A germylene/borane Lewis pair (2) was prepared from a 1,1-carboboration of amidinato phenylethynylgermylene (1) by B(C6 F5 )3 . Compound 2 reacted with iPrNCO and (4-MeOC6 H4 )C(O)Me, respectively, with cleavage of the C=O double bond. In the first instance, O and iPrNC insert separately into the Ge-B bond to yield a GeBC2 O-heterocycle (3) and a GeBC3 -heterocycle (4). In the second case (4-MeOC6 H4 )(Me)C inserts into the Ge-N bond of 2 while O is incorporated in the Ge-B bond to form a Ge-centered spiroheterocycle (5). The reaction of 2 with tBuNC to give 6, which has almost the same structure as 4, proved the formation of the isonitrile during transformation from 2 and iPrNCO to 3 and 4. The kinetic study of the reaction of 2 and iPrNCO gave evidence of proceeding through a GeBC3 O-heterocycle intermediate. In addition, a DFT study was performed to elucidate the reaction mechanism.