Aromatic 5-silicon rings synthesized at last
2 days ago
- #aromaticity
- #silicon-compounds
- #chemistry
- Two research teams independently report the first examples of pentasilacyclopentadienide, an all-silicon version of cyclopentadienides.
- The synthesis of pentasilacyclopentadienide was a decades-long goal for researchers David Scheschkewitz and Takeaki Iwamoto.
- The compound was serendipitously synthesized by a graduate student in Scheschkewitz’s lab while attempting to make a different compound.
- Iwamoto’s team used a stepwise approach to synthesize the compound, starting with a tetrasila-1,3-diene.
- X-ray analysis revealed the silicon ring to be nonplanar with some degree of aromaticity, though Scheschkewitz’s team reports it as essentially planar.
- Pentasilacyclopentadienides could serve as ligands for catalysts and materials, offering potential advantages over carbon-based counterparts.
- The synthesis challenges bonding theory and provides new insights into the structure and properties of silicon-based compounds.