Monosilane, from pyrolysis

Fig. 10. Product-time curves for the initial stages of pyrolysis of 77 torr monosilane at 430 °C. (3 min = 20 % decomposition.) (From Purnell and Walsh67.)...

Stokland74 found that SiD4 decomposed more slowly than SiH4. There seemed to be a systematic increase in the ratio of the rate coefficients, kD/kH (for the second stage of the pyrolysis), from about 0.54 at 648 °K to ca. 0.7 at 764 °K. The experimental conditions used by all investigators of monosilane pyrolysis, and their results, are summarized in Table 3. 

The possibilities of synthesis are limited by the general properties of the Si-Si bond to a small number of reaction types. Disilane derivatives were usually synthesized by a Wurtz-like reaction of monosilane halide derivatives with alkali or alkaline-earth elements. Some pyrolysis reactions that have yielded disilane derivatives are also known. Often, new disilane derivatives were prepared from common derivatives by an exchange of substituents. Some rearrangements have been observed in recent years. 

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