Formation of Bifunctional Octasilsesquioxanes via Silylative Coupling and Cross-Metathesis Reaction

Bifunctional silsesquioxanes create an attractive group of compounds with a wide range of potential applications, and recently they have gained much interest. They are known to be obtained mainly via hydrosilylation, but we disclose novel synthetic protocols based on different but complementary reactions, i.e., cross-metathesis (CM) and silylative coupling (SC). A series of cubic T₈ type silsesquioxane derivatives with a broad scope of styryl substituents were synthesized in a one-pot procedure and characterized by spectroscopic and spectrometric methods. All of the new compounds can be obtained in a one-pot manner, which has an attractive impact on the synthetic procedure, as it is economic in terms of the isolation of intermediate products. Additionally, the methodology disclosed here enables the (E)-stereoselective introduction of styrenes derivative to the cubic T₈ type core. The presented compounds can be interesting precursors for a further functionalization that may significantly increase the possibility of their application in the design and synthesis of new functional materials.