New Functional Alkoxysilanes and Silatranes: Synthesis, Structure, Properties, and Possible Applications

The aza-Michael reaction of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (1) and -silatrane (2) with acrylates affords functionalized silyl-(3-8) and silatranyl-(9-14) mono- and diadducts with up to a 99% yield. Their structure has been proved with IR and NMR spectroscopies, mass spectrometry and XRD analysis. The hydrolytic homo-condensation of triethoxysilanes 3-5 gives siloxanes 3a-5a, which form complexes with Ag, Cu, and Ni salts. They are also able to adsorb these metals from solutions. The hetero-condensation reaction of silanes 4-8 with OH groups of zeolite (Z), silica gel (S) and glass (G) delivers the modified materials (Z4, S7, G4, G5, G7, G8, etc.), which can adsorb ions of noble metal (Au, Rh, Pd: G4 + Au, G5 + Pd, G7 + Rh). Thus, the synthesized Si-organic polymers and materials turned out to be promising sorbents (enterosorbents) of noble, heavy, toxic metal ions and can be applied in industry, environment, and medicine.

Alkoxy- and Silanol-Functionalized Cage-Type Oligosiloxanes as Molecular Building Blocks to Construct Nanoporous Materials

Siloxane-based materials have a wide range of applications. Cage-type oligosiloxanes have attracted significant attention as molecular building blocks to construct novel siloxane-based nanoporous materials with promising applications such as in catalysis and adsorption. This paper reviews recent progress in the preparation of siloxane-based nanoporous materials using alkoxy- and silanol-functionalized cage siloxanes. The arrangement of cage siloxanes units is controlled by various methods, including amphiphilic self-assembly, hydrogen bonding of silanol groups, and regioselective functionalization, toward the preparation of ordered nanoporous siloxane-based materials.

Synthesis of Organosilyl-Functionalized Cage-Type Germanoxanes Containing Fluoride Ions

Eight corners of a double-four ring cage-type germanoxane, containing a fluoride ion, were successfully silylated by the combination of chlorosilanes and silazanes. Three different silyl groups, trimethylsilyl, dimethylsilyl, and dimethylvinylsilyl, were attached on the corners of germanoxane cage. The solubility and reactivity of the cage modified with dimethylvinylsilyl groups were significantly increased, allowing for further reaction. Hydrosilylation reaction between dimethylvinylsilylated cage geramanoxanes and dimethylsilylated cage siloxanes afforded porous solids. Functionalization of the corners of germanoxanes with silyl groups should provide valuable building blocks in various functional materials.

Synthesis and crystal structure of double-three ring (D3R)-type cage siloxanes modified with dimethylsilanol groups

The controlled assembly of molecular building blocks enables the rational design of nanomaterials. In this study, two types of cage-type oligosiloxanes with double-three ring (D3R) structures are modified with dimethylsilanol groups to form supramolecular assemblies. One is the siloxane cage derived from Si(OEt)4 (denoted as the Q6 cage), and the other is the organosiloxane cage derived from (EtO)3Si-CH2-Si(OEt)3 (denoted as the T6 cage). The syntheses of the silanol-modified cages are performed in two steps: (i) dimethylsilylation of the corner Si-O- groups on the Q6 and T6 cages to introduce Si-H groups and (ii) subsequent oxidation of the Si-H groups to Si-OH groups. Dimethylsilylation of the cages is conducted at much lower temperatures (-94 and -78 °C for Q6 and T6 cages, respectively) than those used for conventional silylation, which is the key to suppressing the deterioration of the unstable D3R structure. The subsequent oxidation of the Si-H groups proceeds successfully, and the crystallization of these molecules is induced by the hydrogen bonds of the silanol groups. The crystal structure of the Q6 cage modified with dimethylsilanol groups can be regarded as a layered structure with tetrahydrofuran between the layers. In contrast, the T6 cage modified with dimethylsilanol groups assembled to form a more densely packed structure with no included solvent molecules. The differences between the crystal structures are discussed in terms of the shape of the cages. The insight into the effect of the shape of the cage on its assembly behavior will lead to the designable synthesis of crystalline siloxane-based materials.