Disordering in the crystal structures of thienylgermatranes

The crystal structure of a series of thienylgermatranes has been studied using X-ray diffraction. Disorder of the thiophene ring in a 2-thienylgermatrane has been established. In the same positions of the unit cell of the crystal there are found both molecules with an O(2)-Ge-C-S torsional angle of −166.8(4)° and molecules in which this angle is 14.0(4)°. The lengths of the transannular N→Ge bonds (2.183–2.283 Å) agrees in value with the values of crystalline germatrane structures with a Ge-C bond. The length of the transannular N→Ge bond (2.248 Å) in 4-(2-thienyl)phenylgermatrane (molecule A) is the largest amongst germatranes with a Ge-C_ar bond. Introduction of a second thiophene ring into the 2-thienylgermatrane molecule lowers the acute toxicity of the compound by about 27 times (LD₅₀ for the 2,2′-bithienylgermatrane = 447 mg/kg). __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 299–306, February, 2007.