Sterically Crowded Gold Germylene Compounds with Methyl and Hydride Substituents

This work explores the combination of sterically crowded low‐valent germanium compounds bearing one or two terphenyl (C 6 H 3 ‐2,6‐Ar 2 ) substituents with gold fragments, the latter stabilized by crowded phosphines also containing a terphenyl moiety. The steric protection of these motifs has allowed to examine a series of unusual gold‐germylene compounds featuring small hydride and methyl substituents at the germanium site. A gold‐germylene dicationic structure is also reported. The bonding in this series is investigated by computational means, providing understanding for the two‐way transfer of electrons from germanium to gold and vice versa.