Phosphine-Catalyzed Si-C Coupling of Bissilylmethanes: Preparation of Cyclic (Cl2SiCH2)(2) and Linear Cl2Si(CH2SiCl3)(2) via Silylene and Silene Intermediates

Abstract

Cyclic and linear carbosilanes. (Cl2SiCH2)(2) (2) and Cl2Si(CH2SiCl3)(2) (3), were produced from phosphine-catalized Si-C coupling reactions of bissilylmethanes, HCl2SiCH2SiX1X2Cl (X-1, X-2 = Cl (1), X-1 = H, X-2, = Cl (7), and X-1 = Me, X-2 = Cl (8)). The formation of compounds 2 and 3 suggested competing reaction pathways, involving dichlorosilene [CH2=SiCl2] and dichlorosilylene [:SiCl2] intermediates. Each intermediate was either proposed by the product isolation of the trimerized product (3) or confirmed by trapping experiments with 2,3-dimethylbutadiene and methylene chloride.