Stable germanium analogs of carbenes, imines, ketones, thiones, selones and tellones

The chemistry of low coordinate germanium compounds has made important adva nces in recent years and a rather large number of these species have been i solated in a monomeric state owing to both electronic and/or steric effects . This review reports with their synthetic routes the stable germylenes dro p Ge and the stable germanimines, germanone, germanethiones, -selones and - tellones drop Ge=Y (Y=N-, O, S, Se, Te) prepared up to now, focusing partic ularly on compounds whose structures have been determined. (C) 1998 Elsevie r Science S.A. All rights reserved.