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Updated: Sep 4, 2025

Imine Metathesis by Silica-Supported Catalysts Using the Methodology of Surface Organometallic Chemistry
Published on: October 18, 2019
Dihydrogen Activation with a Neutral, Intermolecular Silicon(IV)-Amine Frustrated Lewis Pair
Thaddäus Thorwart1, Deborah Hartmann1, Lutz Greb2
1Anorganisch-Chemisches Institut, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 270, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
Abstract:
The heterolytic cleavage of dihydrogen constitutes the hallmark reaction of frustrated Lewis pairs (FLP). While being well-established for planar Lewis acids, such as boranes or silylium ions, the observation of the primary H2 splitting products with non-planar Lewis acid FLPs remained elusive. In the present work, we report bis(perfluoro-N-phenyl-ortho-amidophenolato)silane and its application in dihydrogen activation to a fully characterized hydridosilicate. The strict design of the Lewis acid, the limited selection of the Lewis base, and the distinct reaction conditions emphasize the narrow tolerance to achieve this fascinating process with a tetrahedral Lewis acid.
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