Philipp Frisch

TL;DR: The isolation of an equilibrium mixture consisting of a tetrasilyldisilene and its isomeric bis(silyl)silylene, the first isolable silylene of this type, is presented, demonstrating the extreme inherent reactivity via facile small molecule activation even under very mild conditions.

TL;DR: Silyl-substituted silicon–carbonyl complexes that are stable at room temperature have been prepared by exposure of highly reactive bis(silyl)silylenes to carbon monoxide and show structural features and reactivity that are reminiscent of their ubiquitous transition-metal– carbonyl counterparts, including π-backbonding and ligand liberation.

TL;DR: Divalent silylene 1 proved to be a versatile building block for a plethora of novel organosilicon compounds and served as an excellent precursor for gaining access to donor-stabilized heavier carbonyl compounds, providing further insights into the chemistry of low-valent silicon at the interface between carbon and transition metals.

TL;DR: The selective formation of a series of silenes (R2Si=CR2) via the Sila-Wittig reaction revealed an unprecedented approach to oth-erwise elusive compounds and makes another important contribution to discovering the differences and similarities between carbon and silicon.