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Although tetrameric Al(I) compounds have been known for a long time, the monomeric Al(I) compounds that are analogous to carbenes are very recent entrants in Al(I) chemistry. They possess novel structural features and exhibit distinct reactivity. This has resulted in the isolation and characterization of various unusual aluminum(III) compounds such as the aluminatetrazoles and aluminacyclopropenes. In comparison to the recent emergence of monomeric aluminum(I) compounds, stable silylenes and germylenes (carbene analogues of silicon and germanium) were recognized much earlier. This led to the evolution of the Si(II) and Ge(II) chemistry that at times surpasses the sophistication achieved in divalent carbon chemistry. Thus, while carbon lacks an example of a stable chlorocarbene (LCCl), for silicon there is one example of LSiCl, and for germanium there are a fair number of LGeCl compounds. While reactivity studies on LSiCl are anticipated, the utility of RGeCl as a synthon is well documented. Exotic compounds such as a germanethioacid chloride, a germanium(II) hydride, and a germanium(II) hydroxide are some of the examples that were derived from LGeCl. Recent results from our laboratory at Göttingen have helped in the development of these interesting areas of research, and the present account summarizes our contributions to the chemistry of Al(I), Si(II), and Ge(II).

This article reports the reduction of the chloride [PhC(NtBu) 2 ]GeCl with potassium in THF to afford the reddish crystals of [PhC(NtBu) 2 ] 2 Ge 2 (2). The molecule of 2 contains a Ge-Ge bond. The X-ray structure and DFT calculation indicate that the Ge-Ge bond possesses an unusual gauche-bent geometry. The Ge-Ge bond length in 2 is 2.570 Å, which is very close to the single Ge-Ge interaction (2.61 Å) but significantly longer than that for typical digermenes, R 2 GeGeR 2 (2.21-2.51 Å) and the two structurally characterized digermynes (2.2850 Å and 2.2060 Å), which proves that there is no multiple bond character in 2.

Based on reactions known in organotin chemistry, the robust hexaferrocene assembly [{BuSn(O)OC(O)Fc}6] is obtained in quantitative yield by the reaction of two commercially available reactants. The X‐ray crystal structure (see picture) shows a symmetric giant wheel arrangement of the ferrocene units attached in a cyclic manner to a central drumlike stannoxane core. Cyclic voltammetric studies show a single quasireversible oxidation peak.

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The first example of a germanium(II) cyanide complex [GeCN(L)] (2) (L=aminotroponiminate (ATI)) has been synthesized through a novel and relatively benign route that involves the reaction of a digermylene oxide [(L)Ge-O-Ge(L)] (1) with trimethylsilylcyanide (TMSCN). Interestingly, compound 2 activates several aldehydes (RCHO) at room temperature and results in the corresponding cyanogermylated products [RC{OGe(L)}(CN)H] (R=H 3, iPr 4, tBu 5, CH(Ph)Me 6). Reaction of one of the cyanogermylated products (4) with TMSCN affords the cyanosilylated product [(iPr)C(OSiMe3 )(CN)H] (7) along with [GeCN(L)] quantitatively, and insinuates the possible utility of [GeCN(L)] as a catalyst for the cyanosilylation reactions of aldehydes with TMSCN. Accordingly, the quantitative formation of several cyanosilylated products [RC(OSiMe3 )(CN)H] (7-9) in the reaction between RCHO and TMSCN by using 1 mol % of [GeCN(L)] as a catalyst is also reported for the first time.

Organostannoxane-based multiredox assemblies containing ferrocenyl peripheries have been readily synthesized by a simple one-pot synthesis, either by a solution method or by room-temperature solid-state synthesis, in nearly quantitative yields. The number of ferrocenyl units in the multiredox assembly is readily varied by stoichiometric control as well as by the choice of the organotin precursors. Thus, the reaction of the diorganotin oxides, R2SnO (R = Ph, nBu and tBu) with ferrocene carboxylic acid affords tetra-, di-, and mononuclear derivatives [{Ph2Sn[OC(O)Fc]2}2] (1), [{[nBu2SnOC(O)Fc]2O}2] (2), [nBu2Sn{OC(O)Fc}2] (3), [{tBu2Sn(OH)OC(O)Fc}2] (4), and [tBu2Sn{OC(O)Fc}2] (5) (Fc = eta(5)C5H4-Fe-eta(5)C5H5). The reaction of triorganotin oxides, R3SnOSnR3 (R = nBu and Ph) with ferrocene carboxylic acid leads to the formation of the mono-nuclear derivatives [Ph3SnOC(O)Fc] (6) and [{nBu3SnOC(O)Fc}(n)] (7). Molecular structures of the compounds 1-4 and 6 have been determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis. The molecular structure of compound 1 is new among organotin carboxylates. In this compound, ferrocenyl carboxylates are involved in both chelating and bridging coordination modes to the tin atoms to form an eight-membered cyclic structure. In all of these compounds, the acidic protons of the cyclopentadienyl groups are hydrogen bonded to the carboxylate oxygens (C-HO) to form rich supramolecular assemblies. In addition to this, pi-pi, T-shaped, L-shaped, and side-to-face stacking interactions involving ferrocenyl groups also occur. Compound 6 shows an interesting and novel intermolecular CO2-pi stacking interaction. Electrochemical analysis of the compounds 1-4, 6, and 7 shows a single, quasi-reversible oxidation peak corresponding to the simultaneous oxidation of four, two, and one ferrocenyl substituents, respectively. Compound 5 shows two quasi-reversible oxidation peaks. This is attributed to the positional difference among the ferrocenyl substituents on the tin atom. Additionally, while compounds 2 and 4 are electrochemically quite robust and do not decompose even after ten continuous CV cycles, compounds 1, and 3, 5-7 start to show decomposition after five cycles.