Bottleable group 14 isonitrile a synthetic first
By 
Victoria Corless2025-12-03T14:30:00
Highly bulky aryl ligand made isolation of germanium isonitrile possible
Scientists have captured the first-ever glimpse of a stable germa-isonitrile bond. For more than 160 years, isonitriles (R–N≡C) have been valued as robust, versatile building blocks. Attempts at making their heavier group-14 analogues, known as tetrela-isonitriles (R–N≡E, where E is Si, Ge, Sn, Pb), have long fallen short.