Coordination complexes of silicon and germanium halides with neutral ligands

The coordination chemistry of silicon(IV) and (II) and germanium(IV) and (II) halides with neutral donor ligands from groups 15 (N, P or As) and 16 (O, S or Se) is reviewed; N-heterocyclic carbene complexes are also included. The focus is mainly on results published after 1990 and illustrates that significant recent developments have been made in the coordination chemistry of low-valent silicon and germanium halide complexes in particular; this is expected to pave the way for much new reaction chemistry both from a fundamental and application-driven perspective.

Graphical abstractThe coordination chemistry of silicon and germanium halides with neutral group 15 (N, P and As) and group 16 (O, S and Se) ligands and with N-heterocyclic carbene ligands has developed significantly over the last two decades; this review highlights the major contributions to the field.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (136 K)Download as PowerPoint slide