The formation of H 3 GeOH from GeH 2 and H 2 O and its decomposition paths have been studied using the G2 molecular orbital method. It is predicted that GeH 2 reacts with H 2 O exothermically (by 10.0 kcal mol -1 ) without a barrier to form a nonplanar complex, H 2 GeOH 2 , which isomerizes via a 1,2-H shift to H 3 GeOH with a barrier of 28.3 kcal mol -1 . The backward isomerization requires an activation energy of 61.1 kcal mol -1 . In addition, direct decompositions of H 3 GeOH yielding H 3 GeO + H, H 3 Ge + OH, and H 2 GeOH + H are shown to have large endothermicities of 113.7, 102.4, and 84.9 kcal mol -1 , and those producing H 2 -GeO + H 2 and HGeOH + H 2 to have activation energies of 82.1 and 57.6 kcal mol -1 , respectively. Hence, H 3 GeOH is stable to the above decomposition processes unless its temperature is moderately high or above.