title: The chemistry of benzodisilacyclobutenes and benzobis(disilacyclobutene)s: new development of transition-metal-catalyzed reactions, stereochemistry and theoretical studies.
abstract: The synthesis and reactions of 3,4-benzo-1,2-disilacyclobut-3-enes and benzo[1,2:4,5]bis(1,2-disilacyclobut-3-ene)s developed by our group are reported in this review. The palladium-, platinum- and nickel-catalyzed reactions of benzodisilacyclobutenes and benzobis(disilacyclobutene)s with unsaturated compounds afford various types of products. The structures of the products are dependent upon the nature of the transition metal used as a catalyst. The reactions of cis- and trans-benzodisilacyclobutenes with alkenes and alkynes in the presence of a transition-metal catalyst proceed with high stereospecificity to give the respective adducts. The thermal reactions of cis- and trans-benzodisilacyclobutenes with various substrates also proceed stereospecifically to give adducts. The results of theoretical calculations for the platinum-catalyzed reaction of disilacyclobutene with acetylene, the nickel-catalyzed reaction of benzodisilacyclobutene and the thermal reaction of benzobis(disilacyclobutene) are discussed in this review.
authors.affiliation: Professor Emeritus Hiroshima University, Department of Applied Chemistry, Hiroshima University, Higashi-hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8511, Japan. ishikawa-m@zeus.eonet.ne.jp.
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Science, Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts, Kurashiki, Okayama 712-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Akinobu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naka
authors.affiliation: Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazunari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshizawa