Polysilanes reactions

General Reaction Scheme. The polysilane reaction products from the reaction of dialkyldichlorosilanes with sodium in refluxing toluene are complex, with molecular weights spanning the three groups indicated previously. Any mechanism proposed for this reaction should take into account all the three products described at the start of this chapter, even if more than one mechanism coexist. 

Practically all of the above reactions have, with some variation in the halosilane, been applied to the synthesis of higher polysilanes. Reactions which are strictly analogous to those described above have been employed in the synthesis of tetra- and hexasilanes. 

Investigations of silicon-metal systems are of fundamental interest, since stable coordination compounds with low valent silicon are still rare [64], and furthermore, silicon transition-metal complexes have a high potential for technical applications. For instance, coordination compounds of Ti, Zr, and Hf are effective catalysts for the polymerization of silanes to oligomeric chain-silanes. The mechanism of this polymerization reaction has not yet been fully elucidated, but silylene complexes as intermediates have been the subject of discussion. Polysilanes find wide use in important applications, e.g., as preceramics [65-67] or as photoresists [68-83],... 

In 1971, a short communication was published [54] by Kumada and co-workers reporting the formation of di- and polysilanes from dihydrosilanes by the action of a platinum complex. Also the Wilkinson catalyst (Ph3P)3RhCl promotes hydrosilation. If no alkenes are present, formation of chain silanes occurs. A thorough analysis of the product distribution shows a high preference for polymers (without a catalyst, disproportionation reactions of the silanes prevail). Cross experiments indicate the formation of a silylene complex as intermediate and in solution, free silylenes could also be trapped by Et3SiH [55, 56],... 

Analogous to terminal alkenes, the reaction of 123 with valeraldehyde and cyclohexanone under radical-based conditions allowed for the preparation of the corresponding functional polysilanes 126 (Reaction 90). The efficiency of Si-H bond replacement was 80-85%... 

The Kumada/Ishikawa group also investigated thermolytic reactions of alkynyl-polysilanes and silacyclopropenes in the presence of nickel catalysts and implicated a 1-silaallene-nickel complex as an intermediate in the reaction pathway... 

Silenes derived from aromatic di- or polysilanes have been characterized in particular by the ene-type reactions they undergo when treated with isobutene or acetone. Recently, Leigh80 observed the first reported case of one of these silenes undergoing [2+2] cycloaddition (21% yield) with acetone. The ene product, the only product previously detected from the reaction of such silenes, was formed in 41% yield, as shown in Eq. (33). 

The history and development of polysilane chemistry is described. The polysilanes (polysilylenes) are linear polymers based on chains of silicon atoms, which show unique properties resulting from easy delocalization of sigma electrons in the silicon-silicon bonds. Polysilanes may be useful as precursors to silicon carbide ceramics, as photoresists in microelectronics, as photoinitiators for radical reactions, and as photoconductors. 

Scheme 1. Possible Reactions tor the Photodegradation of Polysilane Polymers,...

Possible ways in which polysilanes may be useful include, 1. As precursors to silicon carbide ceramics 2. As photoinitiators in radical reactions 3. As photoconductive materials, and 4. As photoresists in microelectronics. The last of these uses will be treated in the chapter by Miller,(31) and so will not be covered here. 

Although polysilanes have been used mostly as photoinitiators for polymerization, they may also find application as initiators for other radical reactions. Experiments to test this possibility are now being carried out. 

These results indicate that the reactions triggered by the irradiation of polysilanes are rather complex and that the present understanding of these processes is clearly still quite limited. 

At present, the only synthetic method leading to high molecular weight polysilanes is based on the Wurtz condensation reaction between dichlorodisubstituted silanes and alkali metals (low molecular weight oligomers were also prepared by dehydrogenation of secondary... 

The second approach to linear polysilanes is based on the modification of polysilanes prepared by the reductive coupling method. The severe conditions of this reaction allow only alkyl or aryl substituents at the silicon atom in the starting dichlorosilane. Therefore only alkyl or aryl substituted polysilanes are known. We have successfully prepared new polysilanes with pendant alkoxy and amino side groups. This approach allows fine tuning of the properties of... 

We have observed a dependence of the yield, polymerization degree, and polydispersity of polysilanes on temperature and also on the power of ultrasonication. In the ultrasonication bath the simplest test of the efficiency of cavitation is the stability of the formed dispersion. It must be remembered that the ultrasonic energy received in the reaction flask placed in the bath depends on the position of the flask in the bath (it is not the same in each bath), on the level of liquid in the bath, on temperature, on the amount of solvent, etc. When an immersion probe is used the cavitation depends on the level of the meniscus in the flask as well. The power is usually adjusted close to 50% of the output level but it varies with the reaction volume, flask shape, and other rection conditions. The immersion-type probe is especially convenient at lower temperatures. 

GPC traces of poly(phenylmethylsilylenes) prepared in the ultrasonication bath are shown in Fig. 1. In contrast to thermal condensation, monomodal high molecular weight polymer is formed. Oligomeric cycles (mostly cyclic pentamer), formed usually in high yield (cf. Table 1), can be very easily separated from the reaction mixture by precipitation with isopropanol. The molecular weight of polysilanes decreases and polydispersity increases with temperature. 

Because the coupling reaction is usually carried out in excess sodium ([Na]o/[Si-Cl]o=1.2), degradation of the polymer is possible. We had prepared polysilanes and tested this possibility by their reaction with... 

Polymers with triflate groups react with alcohols to form alkoxysubstituted polysilanes. This reaction occurs readily in the presence of bases. The best results were obtained using triethylamine and hindered pyridine. In Fig. 3c the NMR spectrum of the reaction mixture containing the excess of triethylamine is shown, the methyl groups from the polymer chains absorb in the range typical for alkoxysilanes. Reaction in the presence of unsubstituted pyridine leads to the formation of insoluble polymer probably by attack at the p-C atom in the silylated pyridine. 

A similar dichotomy was observed in the titanium catalyzed polymerization of primary silanes coupled to the hydrogenation of norbornene (20). At low catalyst concentration (ca. 0.004H), essentially complete conversion of norbornene to an equimolar mixture of norbornane and bis-phenylsilyl- (and/or 1,2-diphenyl-disilyl)norbornane was observed. Under these conditions no evidence for reduction of titanium was obtained. At higher catalyst concentrations (> 0.02M) rapid reduction of the dimethyltitanocene to J, and 2 occurs and the catalytic reaction produces mainly polysilane (DPn ca. 10) and norbornane in ca. 80 per cent yields, and silylated norbornanes in about 20 per cent yield. 

The discovery that soluble high molecular weight polysilanes may be prepared by the reductive coupling of dichlorodialkylsilanes by alkali metals (1,2) has led to considerable work on the properties of this interesting class of polymers (3,4,5). The preparation of the polymers leaves much to be desired as frequently the high polymer is only a minor product. Mechanistic studies of the reaction with a view to improving the relevant yields have been few (6). The major ones by Zeigler (7,8,9) showed that a silylene diradical was not involved in the reaction, and stressed the importance of polymer solvent interactions. 

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