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Updated: Oct 23, 2025

Synthesis of Nine-atom Deltahedral Zintl Ions of Germanium and their Functionalization with Organic Groups
Published on: February 11, 2012
Low-Valent Germanylidene Anions: Efficient Single-Site Nucleophiles for Activation of Small Molecules
Chris Gendy1, J Mikko Rautiainen1, Aaron Mailman1
1Department of Chemistry, NanoScience Centre, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box. 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland.
Abstract:
Rare mononuclear and helical chain low-valent germanylidene anions supported by cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene and hypermetallyl ligands were synthesised by stepwise reduction from corresponding germylene precursors via stable and isolable germanium radicals. The electronic structures of the anions can be described with ylidene and ylidone resonance forms with the Ge-C π-electrons capable of binding even weak electrophiles. The germanylidene anions reacted with CO2 to give μ-CO2 -κC:κO complexes, a rare coordination mode for low-valent germanium and inaccessible for the related neutral germylones. These results implicate low-valent germanylidene anions as efficient single-site nucleophiles for activation of small molecules.
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