1,2-disilacyclobut-2-enes: Donor-free four-membered cyclic silenes from reaction of disilenides with vinylbromides

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/chem.200800919

A study conducted to demonstrate the quantitative conversion of disilenides of vinyl anions into donor-free four-membered cyclic silenes. The donor-free 1,2-disilacyclobut-2-enes were synthesized with planar Si-C double bond from disilenides and vinyl bromides. The study used single crystal X-ray diffraction method to determine the structure of phenyl substituted derivatives in the solid state. The study found that the derivatives show pronounced π conjugation of the Si=C moiety with the phenyl substituents. The study also found that reaction with the vinyl bromide produced a stable compound with a hydrogen atom attached to the carbon atom of the Si=C double bond. The study also observed that these compounds are thermally stable in the absence of oxygen and moisture, and trisilyl-substituted disilacyclobutenes show tri-coordinate Si and C atoms.