THE STRUCTURE OF ORGANIC DERIVATIVES OF HEXACOORDINATED GERMANIUM - (O-]GE) CHELATED BIS(2-OXO-1-HEXAHYDROAZEPINYLMETHYL)CHLOROGERMANE IODIDE AND BIS-(2-OXO-1-HEXAHYDROAZEPINYLMETHYL)CHLOROGERMANE TRIIODIDE

An X-ray structural study of the iodide and triiodide of bis-(2-oxo-1- hexahydroazepinylmethyl)chlorogermane (1 and 2, respectively; R = 0.03 3 and 0.031 on 3276 and 3093 reflections, respectively) attests to the essentially ionic structure of both compounds with weak I-->Ge coordi nation: the I...Ge distances are 4.181(1)-4.219(2) Angstrom, the Cl-Ge ...I angles are 171.6(1)-180 degrees, the coordination polyhedron of t he Ge atom is a distorted trigonal bipyramid (without regard for the i odide ligands). A comparison of structures 1 and 2, and other derivati ves of penta- and hexacoordinated Ge shows that in certain cases, the electronic system of this atom with its coordination environment may b e considered as containing a combination of two weakly interacting hyp ervalent X-Ge-X' moieties.