Metalloid cluster compounds of germanium: Synthesis - Properties - Subsequent reactions

Metalloid cluster compounds represent ideal model compounds that provide an insight into the area between the molecular and the solid state. This borderland is of particular interest especially for metals or semimetals, as a drastic change of the physical properties takes place from the oxidized species (salt, nonconducting) to the bulk phase (metal, semimetal, conducting, semiconducting). For the heavier group 14 elements, this area is also of great technical interest as the module size in the computer industry approaches the nanometre range. This review describes recent achievements in the synthesis of metalloid cluster compounds of germanium. Besides different ligand systems used in synthesis, first examples of subsequent reactions of such cluster compounds are presented and further applications are discussed. ((c) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008).