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Updated: May 15, 2026

Imine Metathesis by Silica-Supported Catalysts Using the Methodology of Surface Organometallic Chemistry
Published on: October 18, 2019
Room temperature hydrosilylation of silicon nanocrystals with bifunctional terminal alkenes
Yixuan Yu1, Colin M Hessel, Timothy D Bogart
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Materials Institute, and Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1062, United States.
Abstract:
H-terminated Si nanocrystals undergo room temperature hydrosilylation with bifunctional alkenes with distal polar moieties-ethyl ester, methyl ester, or carboxylic acids-without the aid of light or added catalyst. The passivated Si nanocrystals exhibit bright photoluminescence (PL) and disperse in polar solvents, including water. We propose a reaction mechanism in which ester or carboxylic acid groups facilitate direct nucleophilic attack of the highly curved Si surface of the nanocrystals by the alkene.
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