Reactivity of organogermanium and organotin trihydrides

Dalton Trans. 2022 Apr 12;51(15):5950-5961. doi: 10.1039/d2dt00681b.

Abstract

The organogermanium and organotin trihydrides (TbbEH3) [E = Ge (3), Sn (7)] with the Tbb substituent were synthesized by hydride substitution (Tbb = 2,6-[CH(SiMe3)2]2-4-(t-Bu)C6H2). Deprotonation of the organoelement trihydrides 3 and 7 was studied in reaction with bases MeLi, BnK and LDA (Bn = benzyl, LDA = lithium diisopropylamide) to yield the deprotonation products (8-11) as lithium or potassium salts. Hydride abstraction from TbbSnH3 using the trityl salt [Ph3C][Al(OC{CF3}3)4] gives the salt [TbbSnH2][Al(OC{CF3}3)4] (12) which was stabilized by thf donor ligands [TbbSnH2(thf)2][Al(OC{CF3}3)4] (13). Tintrihydride 7 reacts with trialkylamine Et2MeN to give as the product of a reductive elimination of hydrogen the distannane (TbbSnH2)2 (14). Transfer of hydrogen was observed in reaction of trihydrides TbbEH3 (E = Ge, Sn) and Ar*GeH3 with N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC). The NHC adduct TbbSnH(iPrNHC) (15) was synthesized at rt and the germanium hydrides exhibit hydrogen transfer at higher temperatures to give Ar*GeH(MeNHC) (16) and TbbGeH(MeNHC) (17).