A stable compound containing a silicon-silicon triple bond

Abstract

The reaction of 2,2,3,3-tetrabromo-1,1,4,4-tetrakis[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]-1,4-diisopropyltetrasilane with four equivalents of potassium graphite (KC8) in tetrahydrofuran produces 1,1,4,4-tetrakis[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]-1,4-diisopropyl-2-tetrasilyne, a stable compound with a silicon-silicon triple bond, which can be isolated as emerald green crystals stable up to 100 degrees C in the absence of air. The SiSi triple-bond length (and its estimated standard deviation) is 2.0622(9) angstroms, which shows half the magnitude of the bond shortening of alkynes compared with that of alkenes. Unlike alkynes, the substituents at the SiSi group are not arranged in a linear fashion, but are trans-bent with a bond angle of 137.44(4) degrees.