Experimental and theoretical study of vibrational spectra and structure of dihalogermylene and dihalostannylene complexes with 1,4-dioxane and triphenylphosphine

Vibrational (Raman and IR) spectra of the 1:1 complexes of dihalogermylene and dihalostannylene with 1,4-dioxane and PPh3 have been reported, the structures of the complexes Cl2Ge·C4H8O2 and Cl2Ge·PPh3 updated using high-resolution X-ray method. Quantum-chemistry calculations of the geometry and normal mode frequencies and eigenvectors were carried out for some of the complexes. The results show that in the structure of the polymeric solid complexes of X2M with 1,4-dioxane, intermolecular coordination X⋯M plays a prominent role, whereas the corresponding complexes with PPh3 are monomeric. In the vibrational spectra of all the complexes, an inversion of symmetric and antisymmetric stretching νXM (X=Cl, Br; M=Ge, Sn) frequencies, found for ‘free’ X2MII particles, still persists, suggesting that the X2M moieties preserve their specifity as carbene analogues also in the complexes.