Redox flexibility in a germanium hydride manifold: hydrogen shuttling <i>via</i> oxidative addition and reductive elimination.

We report the synthesis of a trimetallic mixed-valence Ge(I)/Ge(II)/Ge(III) trihydride, which presents a structural novel motif among systems of the type (XMH)_n (M = group 14 metal). In terms of reactivity (Ar^NiPr2)GeGe(Ar^NiPr2)(H)Ge(Ar^NiPr2)(H)₂ can act as a source of both the Ge(II) and Ge(IV) hydrides via Ge-H reductive elimination from the central metal centre involving two different regiochemistries.