COMMUNICATIONS
[
[
7] H. Schäfer, H. G. von Schnering, Angew. Chem. 1964, 76, 833.
8] a) S. J. Hibble, A. K. Cheetham, A. R. L. Bogle, H. R. Wakerley, D. E.
Cox, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1988, 110, 3295 ± 3296; b) R. Dronskowski, A.
Simon, Angew. Chem. 1989, 101, 775 ± 777; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.
Engl. 1989, 28, 758 ± 760; c) P. Gougeon, M. Potel, M. Sergent, Acta
Crystallogr. Sect. C 1990, 46, 1188 ± 1190; d) P. Gougeon, P. Gall, M.
Sergent, Acta Crystallogr. Sect. C 1991, 47, 421 ± 432; e) R. Dronskow-
ski, A. Simon, W. Mertin, Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 1991, 602, 49 ± 63; f) P.
Gall, P. Gougeon, Acta Crystallogr. Sect. C 1994, 50, 7 ± 9; g) P. Gall, P.
Gougeon, Acta Crystallogr. Sect. C 1994, 50, 1183 ± 1185; h) R.
Dronskowski, A. Simon, Acta Chem. Scand. 1991, 45, 850 ± 855; i) G. L.
Schimek, S. C. Chen, R. E. McCarley, Inorg. Chem. 1995, 34, 6130 ±
silica gel would be a gel of silicon diimide (Si(NH) ). A
2
putative imide/nitride pathway can be envisioned in which
dialkylamido compounds of silicon are subjected to ammo-
nolysis and condensation to an imide.
The reactions of Si(NR ) compounds, and of bimetallic
2
4
analogues, with ammonia have been reported to give amor-
[11±16]
phous powders
and, in OMCVD experiments, silicon
nitride films.[ However, silicon diimide gels have not been
reported from these or any other starting materials. We report
here the preparation of a silicon imide gel by acid-catalyzed
ammonolysis of the hitherto unreported tris(dimethylamino)-
silylamine [(CH ) N] SiNH , 1, which we have prepared from
17]
6140; j) G. L. Schimek, D. A. Nagaki, R. E. McCarley, Inorg. Chem.
1994, 33, 1259 ± 1265; k) E. Fais, H. Borrmann, H. Mattausch, A.
3
2
3
2
Simon, Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 1995, 621, 1178 ± 1184; l) R. Dron-
skowski, H. Mattausch, A. Simon, Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 1993, 619,
silicon tetrachloride in high yield and purity. The probable
first step in this process is the acid-catalyzed self-condensation
of 1 to the cyclic trimer [{(CH ) N} SiNH] (2), for which we
1397 ± 1408; m) G. L. Schimek, R. E. McCarley, J. Solid State Chem.
1994, 113, 345 ± 354.
3
2
2
3
[
9] a) C. C. Torardi, R. E. McCarley, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1979 101, 3963;
b) R. E. McCarley, Polyhedron 1986, 5, 51 ± 61.
report the X-ray crystal structure. The acid-catalyzed ammo-
nolysis of 2, or the equivalent sequential self-condensation
and ammonolysis of 1, under mild conditions, yields a
semirigid translucent gel. On drying under mild conditions
in an ammonia atmosphere this non-oxide gel yields a high
surface area silicon diimide xerogel, the first example of a
porous non-oxide silicate gel.
[
10] D. Fenske, J. Ohmer, Angew. Chem. 1987, 99, 155; Angew. Chem. Int.
Ed. Engl. 1987, 26, 148.
[
11] a) C. A. Ghilardi, S. Midollini, L. Saccini, J. Chem. Soc. Chem.
Commun. 1981, 47; b) D. Fenske, J. Ohmer, J. Hachgenei, Angew.
Chem. 1985, 97, 993; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1985, 24, 993; c) M.
Hong, Z. Huang, H. Liu, J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun. 1990, 1210.
12] V. E. Fedorov, M. R. J. Elsegood, S. S. Yarovoi, Y. V. Mironov, Chem.
Commun. 1998, 1861 ± 1862.
[
[
Compound 1 was prepared in high yield from silicon
tetrachloride (Scheme 1) as a colorless liquid, and character-
13] A. C. T. North, D. C. Phillips, F. S. Mathews, Acta Crystallogr. Sect. A
1968, 24, 351 ± 359.
1
13
29
ized by elemental analysis, IR and H, C, and Si NMR
spectroscopies, and mass spectrometry. It can be distilled
[
[
14] G. M. Sheldrick, Acta Crystallogr. Sect. A 1990, 46 ,467 ± 473.
15] G. M. Sheldrick, SHELXL97, Universität Göttingen, 1997.
Non-Oxide Sol ± Gel Chemistry: Preparation
from Tris(dialkylamino)silazanes of a
Carbon-Free, Porous, Silicon Diimide Gel
Riccardo Rovai, Christian W. Lehmann, and
John S. Bradley*
Sol ± gel chemistry plays an important role in the prepara-
tion and processing of oxide materials, including microporous
Scheme 1. Synthesis of 1 and 2 as well as the translucent gel of the
composition Si(NH)2�n[N(CH ) ] .
3 2 n
[
1, 2]
oxides and dense ceramics.
There are few examples of non-
and the only reported sol ± gel
[
3±5]
oxide sol ± gel techniques,
under atmospheric pressure without detectable decomposi-
preparation in silicon ± nitrogen chemistry is the synthesis of a
Si/C/N solid by the reaction of methyltrichlorosilane with
bistrimethylsilylcarbodiimide to form a nonporous gel in
which the structural framework contains only SiNCNSi
tion. Compound 1 is the simplest member of the series
(R
N)
Si(NH
)
(4�n) (R Me, n 3), and is one of very few
2
n
2
[18]
examples of a tris(amido)silylamine yet reported. We have
also prepared tris(morpholino)silylamine as a crystalline solid
analogue to 1. Details of the synthesis and structure of this
compound will be published separately.
[
6, 7]
units.
We are attempting to apply the chemistry of silicon
amide compounds to the development of a ªchimie douceº
methodology for carbon-free SiM(NH)x gels (M Si or
metal), to give a sol ± gel route to non-oxide ceramics and
provide an alternative, mild synthetic route to nitridosili-
When 1 is heated in the presence of excess ammonia under
autogenous pressure (100 bar) at 1108C, a white powder is
[
19]
obtained, which is shown by IR spectroscopy to be Si(NH) .
2
[
8±10]
2
�1
cates.
Such gels would be the azo analogues of silica-based
The material is of low surface area (<50 m g ), and is
presumably identical to the powder prepared by Union
Carbide workers by the acid-catalyzed ammonolysis of
amorphous oxide gels, and the nitridosilicate analogue to
[11]
[
*] Prof. Dr. J. S. Bradley
(Me N) Si.
2
4
However, when 1, either neat or in THF, is
Department of Chemistry
University of Hull
Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX (UK)
E-mail: J.S.Bradley@chem.hull.ac.uk
treated at 508C with a catalytic amount of trifluoromethane-
sulfonic acid, self-transamination occurs with loss of dimethyl-
amine to give predominantly the cyclic trimer 2 (80%
according to MS, 61% after recrystallization; Scheme 1).
Compound 2 has been previously described as a product of
the reaction of (Cl SiNH) (a by-product (3% yield) of the
Dipl.-Chem. R. Rovai, Dr. C. W. Lehmann
Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1, D-45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr (Germany)
2
3
2
036
ꢀ WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH, D-69451 Weinheim, 1999
1433-7851/99/3813-2036 $ 17.50+.50/0
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 1999, 38, No. 13/14