Disilene-Silylene Interconversion: A Synthetically Accessible Acyclic Bis(silyl)silylene

Area of Science:

• Organosilicon Chemistry
• Main Group Chemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Silylenes exhibit reactivity typically seen in transition-metal complexes.
• Highly reactive silylenes are potential economical alternatives for catalysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate and characterize a novel bis(silyl)silylene.
• To investigate the reactivity of this silylene in small molecule activation.
• To explore the disilene-silylene rearrangement mechanism.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of an equilibrium mixture of tetrasilyldisilene and bis(silyl)silylene.
• Small molecule activation studies (H2, NH3).
• Synthesis of donor-stabilized bis(silyl)silylenes.
• Theoretical calculations (DFT).

Main Results:

• First isolation of an isolable bis(silyl)silylene.
• Demonstrated facile small molecule activation (H2, NH3) under mild conditions.
• Gained insights into 1,2-silyl migration in disilene-silylene rearrangement.

Conclusions:

• The isolated bis(silyl)silylene is extremely reactive, enabling challenging small molecule activations.
• This work provides a new class of silylenes for potential catalytic applications.
• Understanding the rearrangement mechanism aids in designing future silicon-based catalysts.