Activation of the Ge-H bond of Et3GeH in photochemical reaction with molybdenum(0) carbonyl complexes and hydrogermylation of norbornadiene

The germane intermediate sigma-complexes, characterized by high-field resonances in the region from -6 to -8 ppm, have been detected during the H-1 NMR spectroscopy monitoring of the photochemical reaction of Et3GeH with Mo(CO)(6), [Mo(CO)(4)(eta(4)-cod)], and [Mo(CO)(4)(eta(4)-nbd)] in the NMR tube. The activation of the Ge-H bond of germane in photochemical reaction of the norbornadiene (nbd) complex [Mo(CO)(4)(eta(4)-nbd)] has been applied in the hydrogermylation of norbornadiene, which leads to the formation of triethylgermylnorbornene. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.