Ge2H2 a π-ligand in organometallic chemistry

η2 π-Complexes of Ge2H2 with the organometallic fragments V(PH3)2(I)(CO)2, Cr(CO)4, Co(PH3)2(Cl) and M(PH3)2 (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) have been studied at the B3LYP level using the SBKJC relativistic effective core potentials and their associated basis sets on metals and iodine, and the 6-31G(d) basis set on all other elements. The transition metal fragments of V, Cr, Co, Ni, Pd and Pt were chosen based on known alkyne compounds. All the complexes are local minima for both the HGeGeH and GeGeH2 isomers of the Ge2H2 ligand. The complexes containing GeGeH2 isomer as a ligand are lower in energy than those with the HGeGeH ligand (except in the V complex in which the difference is only 1.0 kcal/mol). There is a net charge transfer from ligand to metal in complexes V–Co and from metal to ligand in late transition metal complexes (Ni–Pt).