Bimetallic complexes containing bridging Si- or Ge-containing units comprise an important class of compounds in organotransition-metal chemistry, being implicated in E�E (E = Si, Ge) and E�C (hydrosilylation or hydrogermylation) bond formation. While silylene- and germylene-bridged homobimetallic complexes are common in the literature, their heterobimetallic counterparts have been much less studied. This paper will discuss the step-wise synthesis of mono- and bis-silylene- and germylene-bridged complexes of Rh and Ir via multiple E�H bond activation of the corresponding silanes and germanes. This type of step-wise synthetic protocol can also lead to unprecedented mixed silylene/germylene-bridged complexes. The reactivity of one of the germylene-bridged complexes in reversible hydrogen activation  and the roles of the metals in the formation and the reactivity of these complexes will be discussed.

Silylene- and germylene-bridged complexes of Rh and Ir: Roles of the adjacent metals in Si–H and Ge–H bond activation and in the subsequent reactivity

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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