Basis sets developed using the generator coordinate method and a pseudopotential have been adapted to
density functional theory to calculate the proton affinity of GeH4, GeH3-, GeF3
-, CH3GeH2
-, and Ge(OH)3
-
and the electron affinity of ·GeH3 and ·GeF3. The proton affinity of GeH4 is calculated to be 673.9 kJ mol-1
at 298 K, while values for GeH3
- (1505.0 kJ mol-1) and CH3GeH2
- (1529.0 kJ mol-1) are in excellent
agreement with experimental values. The electron affinity of ·GeF3 is predicted to be in the range of 3.5−3.7 eV by calculations using different functionals and ab initio methods. The present calculations reveal that
the B3P86 method can yield proton affinities comparable to those obtained with other high-quality methods
but consistently overestimates electron affinities of simple Ge radicals.