Molecular Structure of 1-Germatrahol and its Complex With Chloroform

The crystal structures of anhydrous 1-germatranol and its complex with HCCl₃ are centrosymmetrical dimers because of their intermolecular hydrogen bonds. In the germatranol crystal, the axial and equatorial oxygen atoms of its two molecules are hydrogen bonded into an eight-membered coordination cycle. In the complex with HCCl₃, the two molecules of germatranol are likewise linked in dimers, and both axial oxygen atoms are H bonded with HCCl₃. In the investigated structures, the axial Ge—O bond is shorter than the equatorial ones. Depending on the number and strength of the hydrogen bonds, the interatomic Ge—O and Ge ← N distances change markedly. The quantitative estimates of the H bond energy are obtained from quantum chemical calculations of the model systems containing 1-germatranol and HCCl₃ molecules.