1,1-Dilithiosilanes, 1,1-dilithiogermanes, 1,1-dilithiostannanes and related compounds: Organometallic reagents of the new generation

Novel main group element compounds, geminal dianionic derivatives of the heavier group 14 elements; namely, 1,1-dilithiosilanes, 1,1-dilithiogermanes and 1,1-dilithiostannanes (and closely related derivatives of the cyclopentadiene-1,1-diide and cyclobutadiene dianion), are the focus of the present review. The synthetic strategies for their preparation, structural features, and synthetic applications are discussed.