Reinhold Tacke, B. Becker, D. Berg, W. Brandes, S. Dutzmann, S. Schaller

• Bis( 4-fluorophenyl)methyl(l H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl-methyl)germane (2), a germanium analogue of the agricultural fungicide flusilazole (1), has been synthesized from Cl\(_3\)GeCH\(_2\)CI (3) by both a three-step and a four-step synthesis (3-> (p-F-C\(_6\)H\(_4\))\(_2\)Ge(CH\(_2\)Cl)Br (4)-> (p-F-C\(_6\)H\(_4\))\(_2\)Ge(CH\(_2\)CI)CH\(_3\) (S)-> 2; S ~ (p-F-C\(_6\)H\(_4\))\(_2\)Ge(CH\(_2\)I)CH\(_3\) (6)-> l). The fungicidal properties of l have been compared with those of the parent silicon compound 1 (studies on Si/Ge bioisosterism). In variousBis( 4-fluorophenyl)methyl(l H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl-methyl)germane (2), a germanium analogue of the agricultural fungicide flusilazole (1), has been synthesized from Cl\(_3\)GeCH\(_2\)CI (3) by both a three-step and a four-step synthesis (3-> (p-F-C\(_6\)H\(_4\))\(_2\)Ge(CH\(_2\)Cl)Br (4)-> (p-F-C\(_6\)H\(_4\))\(_2\)Ge(CH\(_2\)CI)CH\(_3\) (S)-> 2; S ~ (p-F-C\(_6\)H\(_4\))\(_2\)Ge(CH\(_2\)I)CH\(_3\) (6)-> l). The fungicidal properties of l have been compared with those of the parent silicon compound 1 (studies on Si/Ge bioisosterism). In various test systems, the SijGe analogues 1 and 2 showed comparable fungicidal properlies (in activity against plant pathogenic fungi: in agar plate diffusion tests and greenhause evaluations; in activity against human pathogenic fungi: in serial dilution tests). In addition, 1 and 2 displayed comparable potencies in respect of sterol biosynthesis inhibition in Sacclulromycopsis üpolytica and Pyricularia oryzae, the mode of action being primarily an inhtbition of oxidative C14-demethylation.…