Transmetalation of Organogermanium Compounds for Au–C-Bonded Single-Molecule Junctions

The construction of robust Au-C covalent bonds is a pivotal goal in molecular electronics. We herein report that the transmetalation of organogermanium compounds provides an effective route to form Au–C covalent bonds within single-molecule junctions, with key reaction intermediates directly monitored. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the applied bias significantly lowers the activation barrier for transmetalation. Notably, organogermanium precursors show remarkable resistance to dimerization, addressing a critical drawback of conventional precursors for Au–C coupling. This work establishes organogermanium chemistry as a versatile and reliable platform for fabricating stable molecular junctions, thereby advancing the field of molecular electronics.