ChemInform Abstract: Photochemical Reactions of Aryl-Substituted Digermanes Through a Pair of Organogermyl Radicals

The photochemical reactions of aryl-substituted digermanes were investigated by trapping experiments and a laser flash photolysis technique. The photolysis of phenylated digermanes resulted in germanium–germanium bond homolysis to give a pair of two germyl radicals. The germyl radicals abstracted a chlorine atom from carbon tetrachloride to give chlorogermanes. The pair of germyl radicals also underwent ipso-substitution, which was a precursor of the germylenes. The mechanism for the photochemistry of phenylated digermanes is discussed.