Organogermanium Compound

Organogermanium Compound

Organogermanium compounds are organometallic compounds containing a carbon to germanium or hydrogen to germanium chemical bond. Organogermanium chemistry is the corresponding chemical science. Germanium shares group 14 in the periodic table with silicon, tin and lead and not surprisingly the chemistry of organogermanium is in between that of organosilicon compounds and organotin compounds.

The main reason why the organogermanium is of limited synthetic value are the costs of germanium compounds. On the other hand germanium is advocated as a non-toxic alternative to many toxic organotin reagents and compounds like tetramethylgermanium and tetraethylgermanium are used in the microelectronics industry as precursors for germanium dioxide chemical vapor deposition.

The first organogermanium compound, tetraethylgermane, was synthesised by Winkler in 1887, by the reaction of germanium tetrachloride with diethylzinc. The organogermanium compound bis (2-Carboxyethylgermanium)sesquioxide was first reported in 1966.