Co-reporter:Xiaohua Lu, Hecong Cheng, Yinfeng Meng, Xinmiao Wang, Lei Hou, Zhen Wang, Sanping Chen, Yaoyu Wang, Gengwen Tan, Anyang Li, and Wenyuan Wang
Organometallics August 14, 2017 Volume 36(Issue 15) pp:2706-2706
Publication Date(Web):July 7, 2017
DOI:10.1021/acs.organomet.7b00400
Using the new β-diketimine 1a (PhCH(PhC═N-Dip)2, Dip = 2,6-iPr2C6H3), which possesses three phenyl groups at the ligand backbone, we synthesized the β-diketiminato germylene chloride 2 (LGeCl, L = [PhC(PhCN-Dip)2]−). The β-diketiminato germanium radical complex 3 (•LGe:, •L = •[PhC(PhCN-Dip)2]2–) has been isolated by reduction of LGeCl with sodium/naphthalene in 64% yield. X-ray diffraction, HR-MS, and electron paramagnetic resonance analyses together with DFT calculations reveal that 3 exhibits a remarkably different structure in comparison with the reported Ge(I) radical C (L′•Ge:, L′ = [HC(tBuCN-Dip)2]−). The inductive effect of three phenyl groups leads to the backbone of ligand 1 being more electron deficient, and therefore the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) of radical 3 is mainly composed of a π-antibonding orbital between the N and C atoms. This results in ca. 0.14 Å shorter N–Ge bonds and ca. 0.1 Å longer C–N bonds in 3 in comparison to those observed in C. Thus, the radical 3 is a two-coordinate germylene stabilized by an N-heterocyclic radical ligand.