title: Bypassing a highly unstable frustrated Lewis pair: dihydrogen cleavage by a thermally robust silylium-phosphine adduct.
abstract: The thermally robust silylium complex [iPr3Si-PtBu3](+)[B(C6F5)4](-) (1) activates H2/D2 at 90 °C (PhCl); no evidence for dissociation into the separated Lewis pair is found. DFT calculations show H2 cleavage proceeds via Si-P bond elongation to form an encounter complex directly from the adduct, thus avoiding the non-isolable iPr3Si(+)-PtBu3 FLP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2AZ, U.K. a.ashley@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Herrington
authors.forename: Bryan J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Laurence R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.forename: Andrew J P
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: Andrew E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Ashley