Germanium Chloroform, GeHCl₃

Germanium Chloroform, GeHCl₃, like the hydride GeH₄, connects germanium with the non-metals carbon and silicon. Indeed GeHCl₃ closely resembles SiHCl₃ in chemical properties.

Germanium chloroform is formed as a vapour, condensible in ice to a volatile liquid, when hydrogen chloride gas is passed over slightly heated powdered germanium. There is formed at the same time, owing to the presence of a trace of water, a certain quantity of the oxychloride GeOCl₂, which it is difficult to remove from the chloroform. Germanium chloroform is a colourless liquid boiling at 72° C., which becomes turbid on exposure to air owing to the formation of the oxychloride, and is decomposed by water, with separation of germanous hydroxide, thus:

GeHCl₃ + 2H₂0 = Ge(OH)₂ + 3HCl.

This manner of decomposition does not at first appear to be analogous to that of silicon chloroform, which reacts thus with water:

2SiHCl₃ + 4H₂O → + 6HCl → + H₂O

but if Ge(OH)₂ is regarded as an analogue of formic acid, having the constitution HGeOOH, the analogy becomes apparent.

The vapour density of GeHCl₃ has been found to be 79.9 (H = 1); since the theoretical value is 89.4 there appears to be some dissociation.