Arenechromiumtricarbonyl complexes of silyl(germyl)(stannyl)- and silyl(germyl)(plumbyl)methanes including the unexpected formation of arenechromiumtricarbonyldimethylsilanol, (η6-C6H5)Cr(CO)3SiMe2OH

Treatment of PhMe2SiCH2GeMe3 (1) with t-BuLi followed by addition of Me3ECl, E = Sn, Pb, results in the formation of phenylsilyl(germyl)stannyl- and phenylsilyl(germyl)plumbyl-methanes, PhMe2Si(Me3Ge)(EMe3)CH, E = Sn (2), Pb (3). The thermal reaction of 1, 2 and 3 with Cr(CO)6 yields the corresponding aryl-Cr(CO)3 analogs, {(η6-C6H5)Cr(CO)3}Me2Si(Me3Ge)CH2 (4) and {(η6-C6H5)Cr(CO)3}Me2Si(Me3Ge)(EMe3)CH, E = Sn (5), Pb (6). The thermal treatment of 2 with Cr(CO)6 in wet THF/di-n-butyl ether mixture results in the formation of the arenechromiumtricarbonyl silanol {(η6-C6H5)Cr(CO)3}Me2SiOH (7) which exhibits amphiphilic character, forming H-bonded chains in the solid state in a head–to-head arrangement of the areneCr(CO)3 units.