Arsagermene, a compound with an –AsGe double bond

The first compound featuring an As[double bond, length as m-dash]Ge double bond, arsagermene Mes*As[double bond, length as m-dash]Ge(SiMetBu2)2, was synthesized, isolated and fully characterized. Crystallographic studies revealed that arsagermene has a planar Ge[double bond, length as m-dash]As bond of 2.2731(8) Å, which is notably shorter than the standard Ge-As single bond. The double bond character of arsagermene was further supported by computational data.