Propagermanium (INN), also known by a variety of other names including bis(2-carboxyethylgermanium) sesquioxide and 2-carboxyethylgermasesquioxane, is an organometallic compound of germanium that is sold as an alternative medicine. It is a polymeric compound with the formula ((HOOCCH2CH2Ge)2O3)n.
The compound was first synthesized in 1967 at the Asai Germanium Research Institute in Japan. It is a water-soluble organogermanium compound used as raw material in nutritional supplements. The compound displays low toxicity in studies with rats.
References
M.P. Egorov, P.P. Gaspar (1994), Germanium: Organometallic chemistry in Encyclopedia of Inorganic Chemistry. John Wiley & Sons ISBN 0-471-93620-0 /wiki/ISBN_(identifier) ↩
"Asai Germanium Japan". Asai Germanium Japan. Retrieved 2022-02-04. https://asaigermanium.com/ ↩
Doi, Yuko; et al. (2017). "No carcinogenicity of poly-trans-[(2-carboxyethyl) germasesquioxane] (Ge-132): 26-week feeding study using rasH2 mice". Fundamental Toxicological Sciences. 4 (3): 137–150. doi:10.2131/fts.4.137. https://doi.org/10.2131%2Ffts.4.137 ↩