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Imine Metathesis by Silica-Supported Catalysts Using the Methodology of Surface Organometallic Chemistry
Published on: October 18, 2019
Reactivity of a Unique Si(I)-Si(I)-Based η2-Bis(silylene) Iron Complex
Zhiyuan He1,2, Lingyu Liu1, Felix J de Zwart2
1School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China.
Abstract:
In this paper, we report the synthesis of a unique silicon(I)-based metalla-disilirane and report on its reactivity toward TMS-azide and benzophenone. Metal complexes containing disilylenes ((bis)silylenes with a Si-Si bond) are known, but direct ligation of the Si(I) centers to transition metals always generated dinuclear species. To overcome this problem, we targeted the formation of a mononuclear iron(0)-silicon(I)-based disilylene complex via templated synthesis, starting with ligation of two Si(II) centers to iron(II), followed by a two-step reduction. The DFT structure of the resulting η2-disilylene-iron complex reveals metal-to-silicon π-back donation and a delocalized three-center-two-electron (3c-2e) aromatic system. The Si(I)-Si(I) bond displays unusual but well-defined reactivity. With TMS-azide, both the initial azide adduct and the follow-up four-membered nitrene complex could be isolated. Reaction with benzophenone led to selective 1,4-addition into the Si-Si bond. This work reveals that selective reactions of Si(I)-Si(I) bonds are made possible by metal ligation.
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