Oxidation of a germanium(II) dication to access cationic germanium(IV) fluorides

The synthesis and characterization of the tris(1-ethyl-benzoimidazol-2-ylmethyl)amine (BIMEt3 = L) complex of Ge(II)2+ is described. Oxidation of [LGe]2+ with Selectfluor gives [LGeF2]2+, in a process that is envisaged to involve a tricationic complex [LGeF]3+ as an intermediate, which has been isolated by fluoride ion abstraction from [LGeF2]2+.