Germyl cation, formation

While germyl cations are not known in aqueous solutions, reports on the formation of stannyl cations appeared as early as 192324. Since then, numerous investigations25-27 established that ions of the type R3M(OH2)n+ (M = Sn, Pb) can be prepared in aqueous solutions. The early literature on this subject was reviewed in 1966 by Tobias28. Among earlier studies one should mention a series of publications by the group of Rabenstein29,30 who studied plumbyl cation complexes in aqueous solutions by H NMR. 

Oxidation of cyclotrigermenes — formation of the free germyl cation... 

While the actual structure of the product ions has not been clearly established, it is likely that the product ions Ge2(OMe)6+ , Ge2(OMe)4+ Ge2(OMe)s+ and Ge2(OMe)3+ are species where Ge—Ge bonds have been formed in the process of elimination of MeOH and H2CO. This implies that while the reaction of germyl-type cations like Ge(OMe)3+ and HGe(OMe)2+ are probably initiated by attachment of a Ge to an oxygen lone pair in Ge(OMe)4, the reaction must proceed through a rearrangement that allows for an incipient Ge—Ge bond formation. 

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