“…Thus, the triruthenium cluster [Ru 3 {µ-Ge(NCH 2 CMe 3 ) 2 C 6 H 4 } 3 (CO) 9 ], which has a planar Ru 3 Ge 3 core and an overall C 3h symmetry, has been prepared in quantitative yield by treating [Ru 3 (CO) 12 ] with an excess of the cyclic 1,3-bis(neo-pentyl)-2-germabenzimidazol-2-ylidene in toluene at 100 o C, but, under analogous reaction conditions, the acyclic and bulkier Ge(HMDS) 2 (HMDS = N(SiMe 3 ) 2 ) quantitatively leads to the mononuclear ruthenium(0) derivative [Ru{Ge(HMDS) 2 } 2 (CO) 3 ]. Mixtures of products have been obtained from the reactions of [Ru 3 (CO) 12 ] with the cyclic and very bulky 1,3-bis(tert-butyl)-2-germaimidazol-2-ylidene under various reaction conditions.…”