Ge[CH(SiMe3)(2)](2) reacts with benzophenone to form a conjugated triene. Wilkinson's catalyst, Rh(PPh3)(3)Cl, is an effective precatalyst for the isomerization of one double bond and hydrogenation of a second double bond of this triene. This reaction demonstrates that germylene activation of the phenone moiety yields reactive double bonds amenable to catalytic transformation, even with bulky catalysts such as the presumed active form of Wilkinson's catalyst, Rh(PPh3)(2)Cl.