Reactivity Studies of a Ge^I−Ge^I Compound with and without Cleavage of the Ge−Ge Bond

This Communication describes two strikingly different reactivities of a digermylene [{PhC(NtBu)2}2Ge2] (1) featuring a GeI−GeI single bond. In the reaction with azobenzene, 1 affords the oxidative addition product LGeN(Ph)N(Ph)GeL [2; L = PhC(NtBu)2], with simultaneous cleavage of the Ge−Ge bond, whereas treatment of 1 with Fe2(CO)9 yields the Lewis acid−base adduct LGe[Fe(CO)4]Ge[(Fe(CO)4]L (3). Both compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, NMR spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis.