Si=Si Double Bonds: Synthesis of an NHC-Stabilized Disilavinylidene

An efficient two-step synthesis of the first NHC-stabilized disilavinylidene (Z)-(SIdipp) Si=Si(Br) Tbb (2; SIdipp=C[N(C6H3-2,6-iPr(2))CH2](2), Tbb=C6H2-2,6-[CH-(SiMe3)(2)](2)-4-tBu, NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene) is reported. The first step of the procedure involved a 2:1 reaction of SiBr2(SIdipp) with the 1,2-dibromodisilene (E)-Tbb(Br)Si=Si(Br)Tbb at 100 degrees C, which afforded selectively an unprecedented NHC-stabilized bromo(silyl)silylene, namely SiBr-(SiBr(2)Tbb)(SIdipp) (1). Alternatively, compound 1 could be obtained from the 2:1 reaction of SiBr2(SIdipp) with LiTbb at low temperature. 1 was then selectively reduced with C8K to give the NHC-stabilized disilavinylidene 2. Both low-valent silicon compounds were comprehensively characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, and elemental analyses. Additionally, the electronic structure of 2 was studied by various quantum-chemical methods.