Synthesis, characterization, and photoreactions of 1,2‐disiladigermacyclobutane

Abstract

Abstract A new four‐membered ring compound having a Si 2 Ge 2 skeleton, octaisopropyl‐1,2‐disiladigermacyclobutane ( 1 ), was synthesized by the reductive coupling of tetraisopropyl‐1,2‐dichlorosilagermane with sodium in toluene. The structure of 1 , which has one Ge–Ge bond, one Si–Si bond, and two Ge–Si bonds in a ring, was confirmed by chemical derivatization; the reactions of 1 with m‐chloroperoxybenzoic acid and PCl 5 led to the selective cleavage of the Ge–Ge bond in 1 . The selective extrusion of a germylene from 1 was observed at the initial stage of the photolysis using 254 nm light. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 12:398–405, 2001