The Group has been exploring transition metal germylene chemistry for the past two years. Germylene ligands bind strongly to transition metal complexes, similar to a phosphines, but retains a Lewis acidic site. This empty orbital can be used to create a formal double bond with a filled transition metal orbital or can simply provide a Lewis acid site in close proximity to a basic metal. The first new complex made by the group is shown below. This work was recently published in Organometallics.




This Platinum-Germylene complex, containing both three-coordinate Pt and Ge, undergoes reversible reactions with dihydrogen and carbon dioxide as indicated below.