Introduction of organogermyl functionalities to the cage silsesquioxanes

In this work, we present the first example of highly efficient platinum-catalyzed hydrosilylation of vinyl- and allylgermanes with different types of silsesquioxanes and spherosilicates. This protocol allows the straightforward introduction of organogermyl functionalities with alkyl chains linked to the silsesquioxane core with good yields and excellent selectivity. These derivatives may be applied as precursors for the development of advanced hybrid materials in the future. In addition, a comparison made for vinylsilanes and vinylgermanes showed a higher reactivity of germanium compounds in hydrosilylation reaction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first literature example of the functionalization of silsesquioxanes and spherosilicates with this type of germanium derivatives. The reaction parameters and kinetics were determined by in situ FT-IR. Additionally, our research is supported by extensive data from NMR measurements.