Facile synthesis of dichlorosilane by metathesis reaction and dehydrogenation of dihydrogermane by a frustrated Lewis pair

Abstract

The reaction of GeCl(2).dioxane with 1,4-diazabutadiene compounds [(HC[double bond, length as m-dash]NAr)(2), Ar = 2,6-iPr(2)C(6)H(3), (1); Ar = 2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(2), (2)] leads to the formation of dichlorogermane derivatives [{N(2,6-iPr(2)C(6)H(3))CH}(2)]GeCl(2) (3) and [{N(2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(2))CH}(2)]GeCl(2) (4) respectively. The reaction of compound 2 with SiCl(2).NHC (NHC = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidine) (5) results in the formation of dichlorosilane [{N(2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(2))CH}(2)]SiCl(2) (6) which is the precursor for the synthesis of N-heterocyclic silylene. Furthermore the reaction of dichlorogermane 3 with two equivalents of AlH(3).NMe(3) in toluene leads to the dihydrogermane [{N(2,6-iPr(2)C(6)H(3))CH}(2)]GeH(2) (7). Interestingly this dihydrogermane (7) is dehydrogenated by the frustrated Lewis pair, N-heterocyclic carbene (1,3-di-tert-butylimidazol-2-ylidene) and tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, to form the N-heterocyclic germylene [{N(2,6-iPr(2)C(6)H(3))CH}(2)]Ge (8).