Synthese de composes a liaison MIVBmercure. Precurseurs d'especes monovalentes (germynes), et bivalentes (germylenes), de radicaux centrometalles et d'intermediaires

Polynuclear germylmercury compounds are obtained from the reaction of organohydrogermanes Ph_nGeH_4?n or digermanes Ph_2nGe₂H_4?n (n = 1, 2) with dialkylmercury R₂Hg. Di- or tri-mercurated geminal polygermates thus synthesized generally present a low stability and undergo thermal- or photo-decompositions leading to the corresponding monovalent (germynes), divalent (germylenes) or, trivalent (germanium centered radicals) species and also to intermediate

biradicals which could be considered as limit forms of germanium doubly-bonded compounds

. Such intermediates have been chemically and spectroscopically characterized.Extension of these reactions to the silicon analogs met with difficulties, and thus previously observed differences between silicon and germanium chemistry were confirmed.