Chemistry of subvalent group 14 halides and their application in cluster synthesis.

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Starting from Ge(I) and lately Sn(I) halides we have been able to establish a fruitful preparative route to metalloid cluster compounds of germanium and tin. Metalloid clusters are model compounds for the borderland between molecules and the solid state, hence the synthesis and structural characterization of metalloid clusters open our eyes for the molecular processes taking place during the formation of the element, thus a fundamental process that is still less understood. Due to the fact that the dimensions of the metalloid clusters are in the nanometer range and due to the well known structures via x-ray crystal structure analysis, metalloid clusters are also ideal model compounds for nanotechnology to establish structure/property relations on a structurally known compound. These investigations should be further enhanced to understand and measure the physical and chemical properties of this novel class of compounds as atomic precise known nanoscale intermediates on the way to the element.