Trichlorogermane anion

The ability of trichlorogermane as an acid to form stable organic salts having the GeCl3 anion was first observed in the study of the reaction of HGeCl3 with triphenylamine. It was found that at room temperature their interaction lead to the formation of an unusual iminium salt, i.e. trichlorogermanate 3,5-fe(trichlorogermyl)cyclohexylidenediphenyliminium 1 in 92% yield (equation 2)35,36. 

Trichlorogermane itself is ionized in CH3CN solution. Therefore, as in the above mentioned cases, the anion GeCl3 undergoes oxidation. The polarization curve of trichlorogermane oxidation under the same conditions gave an anodic one-electron wave with 1/2 = 0.48 V. 

Reaction of trichlorogermane with excess of styrene at — 5 °C leads to the formation of both isomers with a 2.3 1 predominance of the anti-Markovnikov product. This ratio can be modified by varying the reaction conditions. Thus, if the reaction is carried out in concentrated HC1, the yield of 7 rises up to give an opposite regiochemistry with a ratio 6 7 = 1 9. The role of concentrated HC1 consists in the ionization of trichlorogermane and shift of equilibrium GeCl3 GeCl2 + Cl- to the left in the presence of excess of chloride anion. 

Trichlorogermane undergoes a sequence of reactions with H2PtCl4 producing both neutral and anionic Pt(IV) complexes, depending on the reaction conditions ... 

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