Metal-ligand bonds silylene complexes

The first complex with a metal-metal bond that is bridged by only a single silylene ligand has been prepared in a low yield by treatment of chloro(hydro)silane with base in the presence of Fe2(CO)9 [Eq. (33)].65 However, this product is reported to be inflammable in air and stable only at low temperature. 

In the last years transition metal-silyl complexes have received special attention for several reasons [1, 2], On the one hand, they are assumed to be important intermediates in catalytic processes [2] (transition metal-catalyzed hydrosilylation reaction, dehydrogenative coupling of silanes to polysilanes, etc.), on the other metal-substituted silanes show special properties, which can be tuned systematically by judicious choice of the metal and its ligands [3] Furthermore, silylenes (silanediyls) are stabilized by unsaturated transition metal fragments leading to metal-silicon double-bonds [4]. In the light of a possible application in MOCVD processes some of these complexes are of interest as potential single-source precursors for the manufacture of thin silicide films [5]. 

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