Formation of silaimines from a sterically demanding iminophosphonamido chlorosilylene via intramolecular N-P bond cleavage

The sterically demanding iminophosphonamido chlorosilylene [Ph2P(DipN)2]SiCl (Dip = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl) was synthesized and fully characterized using NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. Substitution reactions of [Ph2P(DipN)2]SiCl with N- and Fe-nucleophiles led to the unexpected formation of the corresponding silaimine derivatives. This process involves the ring-opening rearrangement of three-coordinated silylene intermediates that proceeds via intramolecular N-P bond cleavage.

An Isolable Bis(Silanone-Borane) Adduct

The reaction of bis(silylenyl)-substituted ferrocene 1 with two molar equivalents of BPh3 yields the corresponding bis(silylene-borane) Lewis adduct 2. The latter is capable to activate CO2 to furnish the borane-stabilized bis(silanone) 3 through mono-oxygenation of the dative SiII →B silicon centers under release of CO. Removal of BPh3 from 3 with PMe3 affords the corresponding 1,3,2,4-cyclodisiloxane and the Me3 P-BPh3 adduct. All isolated new compounds were characterized and their molecular structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses.

An Air-Stable Heterobimetallic Si2 M2 Tetrahedral Cluster

Air- and moisture-stable heterobimetallic tetrahedral clusters [Cp(CO)2 MSiR]2 (M=Mo or W; R=SitBu3 ) were isolated from the reaction of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) stabilized silyl(silylidene) metal complexes Cp(CO)2 M=Si(SitBu3 )NHC with a mild Lewis acid (BPh3 ). Alternatively, treatment of the NHC-stabilized silylidene complex Cp(CO)2 W=Si(SitBu3 )NHC with stronger Lewis acids such as AlCl3 or B(C6 F5 )3 resulted in the reversible coordination of the Lewis acid to one of the carbonyl ligands. Computational investigations revealed that the dimerization of the intermediate metal silylidyne (M≡Si) complex to a tetrahedral cluster instead of a planar four-membered ring is due to steric bulk.

NHC-Stabilized Silyl-Substituted Chlorosilylene

The first N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) stabilized silyl-substituted chlorosilylene (1) was isolated via selective dehydrochlorination by NHC from silyl-based Si(IV) precursor tBu₃SiSiHCl₂. Compound 1 can form an iron chlorosilylene complex (2) with an iron carbonyl dimer and undergoes chloride/hydride metathesis to yield a stable NHC-silylene hydride borane adduct (3). Upon treatment with additional NHC, chlorosilylene 1 was converted into silyl-substituted silyliumylidene ions (4).

NHC-stabilized silyl-substituted silyliumylidene ions

The first silyl-substituted silyliumylidene ions are reported. The scope of a previously described convenient one-step procedure for the preparation of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) stabilized silyliumylidene ions via dehydrochlorination from a Si(iv) precursor with NHCs is expanded to silyl-based substituents as well as aryl substituents with reduced steric bulk.

Reactivity of an NHC-stabilized pyramidal hydrosilylene with electrophilic boron sources

An NHC-stabilized three-coordinate hydrosilylene dehydrogenates ammonia borane and forms more stable complexes with BH₃, BPh₃, BBr₃ and BPhBr₂ but less stable ones with BF₃, and BCl₃ for which ligand scrambling occurs.

NHCs in Main Group Chemistry

Since the discovery of the first stable N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) in the beginning of the 1990s, these divalent carbon species have become a common and available class of compounds, which have found numerous applications in academic and industrial research. Their important role as two-electron donor ligands, especially in transition metal chemistry and catalysis, is difficult to overestimate. In the past decade, there has been tremendous research attention given to the chemistry of low-coordinate main group element compounds. Significant progress has been achieved in stabilization and isolation of such species as Lewis acid/base adducts with highly tunable NHC ligands. This has allowed investigation of numerous novel types of compounds with unique electronic structures and opened new opportunities in the rational design of novel organic catalysts and materials. This Review gives a general overview of this research, basic synthetic approaches, key features of NHC-main group element adducts, and might be useful for the broad research community.