Electrochemical oxygenation of diorganyldichlorosilanes: A novel route to generation of diorganylsilanones

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0022-328X(00)00464-2

Interaction of diorganyldichlorosilanes R₂SiCl₂ (R = Me, Et, Ph) with superoxide or peroxide anions, produced in situ by electroreduction of molecular oxygen, provides short-living diorganylsilanones R₂Si=O. The latter undergo cyclization to give lower perorganylcyclosiloxanes (R₂SiO)_n, n = 3 or 4 and then insert to the molecules of these primary products to form higher cyclic oligomers. When the process is carried out in the presence of a reagent-trap for silanones (hexamethyldisiloxane, hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane), the products of insertion of diorganylsilanones into the molecule-traps (Me₃Si(OSiR₂)_nOSiMe₃ with n ≥ 1, and (Me₂SiO)₃(R₂SiO)_m with m ≥ 1, respectively) were obtained.