Insights into the making of a stable silylene.
Reduction of Cl2Si[(NR)2C6H4-1,2] (R = CH2Bu(t)) with potassium is known to lead to the stable silylene Si[(NR)2C6H4-1,2] (1). However, silylene is now shown to react further with an alkali metal (Na or K) to yield the (1)(2)2-, c-(1)(3)-*, c-(1)(3)2- or c-(1)(4)2- derivatives. Reduction of Cl2Si[(NR)2C6H4-1,2] (R = CH2CH3 or CH2CHMe2) with potassium does not lead to an isolable silylene, but such a silylene is proposed to be an intermediate and, as for 1, reacts further to afford the potassium salts of c-[Si{(NR)2C6H4-1,2}]4-* and c-[Si{(NR)2C6H4-1,2}](4)2-. The pathways leading to the anionic cyclotri- and cyclotetrasilanes are discussed and supported experimentally; including by X-ray structures of relevant intermediates.
Department of Chemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UKBN1 9QJ.
Barbara
B
Gehrhus
Peter B
PB
Hitchcock
Ruti
R
Pongtavornpinyo
Lihong
L
Zhang
D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D017646:Organosilicon Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*
D017646:Organosilicon Compounds