An Isolable THF-Coordinated Dialkylgermanone.

A stable dialkylgermanone was generated by mixing a solid of the corresponding dialkylgermylene and gaseous N2O. While the dialkylgermanone is marginally persistent in solution and gradually converts to its head-to-tail dimer at room temperature, the addition of THF to the dialkylgermanone provided an isolable THF-coordinated dialkylgermanone. The THF-coordinated dialkylgermanone reacts with H2O, THF, and B(C6F5)3 similar to the corresponding base-free two-coordinate dialkylsilanone. The dialkylgermanone undergoes deoxygenation in the presence of triphenylphosphine to provide the corresponding germylene and olefination upon treatment with phosphaylide Ph3PCHPh to afford the corresponding Ge=C bond compound (germa-Wittig reaction).