Zinc–silylene complexes

Abstract

Reactions of the chlorosilylene [PhC(N^tBu)₂]SiCl (SiCl) and the aryl and alkyl zincorganyls Zn(C₅Me₅)₂, ZnPh₂ and ZnEt₂ resulted in the first Zn–silylene complexes. In all reactions the chlorine atom of the silylene and organic groups of the zinc atom are exchanged. By using Zn(C₅Me₅)₂ and ZnPh₂ one of the newly formed silylene coordinates to the zinc atom to give [PhC(N^tBu)₂(η¹-C₅Me₅)Si-Zn(η²-C₅Me₅)Cl] and [PhC(N^tBu)₂PhSi–ZnPh(μ-Cl)]₂, respectively. In contrast, the reaction of SiCl with ZnEt₂ resulted due the reduced steric demand of the silylene in the disilylene complex [PhC(N^tBu)₂SiEt]₂ZnCl₂, in which both ethyl-moieties are exchanged by chlorides and two newly formed ethyl-silylenes coordinate to the zinc atom.