Platinum Complexes Bearing a Tripodal Germyl Ligand

The reaction of the germane [Ge(H)(2‐C 6 H 4 PPh 2 ) 3 ] ( 1 ) and the platinum precursor complex [Pt(nbe) 3 ] (nbe = norbornene) gave a racemic mixture of the germyl complex [Pt(nor){Ge(2‐C 6 H 4 PPh 2 ) 3 }] ( 2 ; nor = exo ‐2‐norbornyl, exo ‐2‐bicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl). Mechanistic studies showed that the hydrido complex [Pt(H){Ge(2‐C 6 H 4 PPh 2 ) 3 }] ( 3 ) is not formed as an intermediate during the formation of 2 . Further studies revealed that in contrast to the chlorido complex [Pt(Cl){Ge(2‐C 6 H 4 PPh 2 ) 3 }] ( 4 ), the methyl compound [Pt(CH 3 ){Ge(2‐C 6 H 4 PPh 2 ) 3 }] ( 5 ) is an efficient starting compound for accessing cationic platinum species. Complex 5 was converted into the triflato complex [Pt(OTf){Ge(2‐C 6 H 4 PPh 2 ) 3 }] ( 6 ) as well as the complexes [Pt(L){Ge(2‐C 6 H 4 PPh 2 ) 3 }][B{3,5‐C 6 H 3 (CF 3 ) 2 } 4 ] [L = thf ( 7 ), toluene ( 8 ), CH 2 Cl 2 ( 9 ), PPh 3 ( 10 )].