Silylenes synthesis

The 1,3-silyl shift in aryl disilanes is suppressed when the aromatic ring is ortho-substituted144. An attempted silylene synthesis from 1,3-dimesitylhexamethyltrisilane 259, however, led to low yields of silylene trapping products (ca 30% generation of Me2S ). The major pathway is the homolytic cleavage of the trisilane, followed by disproportionation of the radicals 260 and 261 to the silene 262 and the disilane 263 (equation 65). 

Three different silylene derivatives were used to achieve selective protection of a rnore hindered diol during a taxol synthesis. Treatment of the silylene with MeLi opens the ring to afford the more hindered silyl ether. 

In 1987 a major breakthrough was achieved when two research groups independently succeeded in the synthesis of monomeric silylene complexes in the form of stable base adducts [35-38]. 

The synthetic approach to silylene complexes (Eq. (2)) is versatile and allows a high variability of both the metals and the substituents at the silicon. A whole series of compounds with bulky substituents like 1 -adamantyloxy, 2-adamantyloxy, neopentyloxy, triphenylmethoxy or f-butylthio could be prepared (Table 1). Compounds with sulfur at silicon are particularly interesting however, their synthesis proved to be very difficult. 

Basically the same methods known from the synthesis of classical metal-silyl complexes can also be applied to the preparation of low valent Si compounds. The procedures given here are summarized with the focus on silylene complexes These are a) reactions of appropriate metal anions with halosilanes, which are the most important methods for the formation of M-Si bonds. Alternatively, silyl... 

A photoinduced synthesis of the silylene-bridged dinuclear iron complex 71 has been accomplished from CpFe(CO)2SiMe3 and RSiH3. 

Developments in the synthesis and characterization of stable silylenes (RiSi ) open a new route for the generation of silyl radicals. For example, dialkylsilylene 2 is monomeric and stable at 0 °C, whereas N-heterocyclic silylene 3 is stable at room temperature under anaerobic conditions. The reactions of silylene 3 with a variety of free radicals have been studied by product characterization, EPR spectroscopy, and DFT calculations (Reaction 3). EPR studies have shown the formation of several radical adducts 4, which represent a new type of neutral silyl radicals stabilized by delocalization. The products obtained by addition of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-l-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO) to silylenes 2 and 3 has been studied in some detail. ... 

Barton and co-workers" performed flash vacuum pyrolysis (FVP) on trimethyl-silylvinylmethylchlorosilane (30), resulting in the production of trimethylchlorosi-lane (30%), trimethylvinylsilane (11.5%), and most interestingly, ethynylmethyl-silane (34, 11.9%). A proposed mechanism for the synthesis of 34 (Scheme 10) begins with the lo.ss of trimethylchlorosilane to form silylene 31, which can rearrange either to silaallene 32 or to silirene 33, both of which can lead to the isolated ethynylsilane. 

The disilene synthesis by the photolysis of linear trisilanes proceeds via initial formation of a silylene followed by its dimerization (Eq. 1). Disilene 1 has now become a common organometallic reagent. A detailed synthetic procedure employing photolysis of the corresponding linear trisilane is described in Inorganic Syntheses (Eq. 2).6... 

This silylene formation from 27 under mild conditions permits the synthesis of a variety of interesting carbo- and heterocycles, most of which are new types of compounds. The results are summarized in Schemes 5 and 6. The reactions with benzene and naphthalene represent the first examples of [2+1] cycloadditions of a silylene with aromatic C=C double bonds.59 623 The reactions with carbon disulfide and isocyanide (Scheme 6) are also of great interest because of their unusual reaction patterns.62b... 

Ando and co-workers have reported the synthesis of a silyl-carborane hybrid diethynylbenzene-silylene polymer (108) (Fig. 66) possessing high thermal stability.136 The polymer contained Si and —C=C— group in the main chain and m-carborane and vinyl groups in the side chain. The 5% weight-loss temperature of the cured polymer in air was over 1000°C as determined by thermogravimetric analysis. 

The chemistry of unsaturated silicon compounds, i.e. silylenes and molecules having (p-p)ic-sili-con element multiple bonds >Si=E (E = C, Si, Ge, Sn, N, P, As, O, S), is an interesting field of research for the theoretician as well as for the preparative chemist because of the unexpected and fascinating results which can be obtained. Yet 30 years ago, such compounds were considered "non existent" because of the classical "double bond rule", established by Pitzer and Mulliken in the early fifties. Since then, the chemistry of unsaturated silicon compounds proceeded from the investigation of small" species in the gas phase to the synthesis and isolation of stable species with bulky substituents at the > Si =E moiety, and to the determination of their structural features. 

Decomposition with the elimination of arsenic or phosphorus ylide and formation of silylene (germylene, stannylene) Me2E14, which represents the process inverse to the synthesis of these betaines. 

Functionalization of polysilanes by chemical modification (post-polymerization) was covered in COMC II (1995) (chapter Organopolysilanes, p 101), where the formation of precursor polysilanes with potentially functionalizable side groups such as chloride, type 34 (via HCI/AICI3 chlorodephenylation of PMPS), 6 triflate, type 35 (via triflate replacement of phenyl groups)135,137 or alkyl halide (via chloromethylation of phenyl groups,138,139 type 36, or addition of HC1 or HBr to double bonds140) was discussed. Four other precursor polysilanes, which utilize the reactivity of the Si-Cl or Si-H bond, have been successfully applied in functionalization since COMC (1995) perchloropolysilane, 17 (see Section 3.11.4.2.2.(i) for synthesis),103 poly[methyl(H)silylene-f >-methylphenylsilylene],... 

Scheme 14.4 Synthesis of poly(phenylene-silylene-ethylene)s via hydrosilylation polymerization process.

Silylated triphosphanes and triphosphides, synthesis, 31 188-194 yields, 31 194 Silylenes, 29 2-6 addition reactions, 29 4-6 to butadiene, 29 4 to ethylene, 29 4 to hexadienes, 29 5 mechanism, 29 4 nitric oxide scavenging, 29 4 complexes, 25 37, 51, 116, 118 as catalyst intermediates, 25 118 extrusion from disilanes, 25 114, 118 halides, 3 225 from hydridosilanes, 25 14 insertion into element-hydrogen bonds, 29 3-4... 

Synthesis, Structures, Reactions, and Dimerizations of Stable Silylenes. 684... 

The photolysis of cyclic polysilanes results in ring contraction with concomitant extrusion of a silylene fragment. Although the formation of two reactive intermediates potentially complicates mechanisms for product formation, it has provided a useful method for the synthesis of both unstable and stable disilenes... 

SYNTHESIS, STRUCTURES, REACTIONS, AND DIMERIZATIONS OF STABLE SILYLENES... 

Recently, introduction of amino substituents on the silicon atom resulted in an epoch-making breakthrough in this field, that is, the synthesis of stable silylenes such as 122-125 (Scheme 14.56). ° Although these silylenes are all well characterized by either X-ray crystallographic analysis or electron-diffraction analysis,... 

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