Dihydrogen Splitting Using Dialkylsilylene-Based Frustrated Lewis Pairs

Zhaowen Dong; Zhifang Li; Xupeng Liu; Chenting Yan; Ningka Wei; Mitsuo Kira; Thomas Müller

doi:10.1002/asia.201700143

Dihydrogen Splitting Using Dialkylsilylene-Based Frustrated Lewis Pairs

Chem Asian J. 2017 Jun 1;12(11):1204-1207. doi: 10.1002/asia.201700143. Epub 2017 Mar 1.

Authors

Zhaowen Dong^{1

2}, Zhifang Li¹, Xupeng Liu¹, Chenting Yan¹, Ningka Wei¹, Mitsuo Kira¹, Thomas Müller²

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology of Ministry of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, No. 2318 Yuhangtang Rd. Hangzhou, 311121, Zhejiang, China.
² Institute of Chemistry, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Str. 9-11, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.

PMID: 28195409
DOI: 10.1002/asia.201700143

Abstract

Isolable dialkylsilylene 5 reacts with dihydrogen in the presence of a small amount of a conventional Lewis acid (BPh₃ , BEt₃ ) or a base (PPh₃ , PEt₃ , NPh₃ , NEt₃ ) at low temperatures in a hydrocarbon solvent, giving the corresponding dihydrosilane 10 in high yields. Both 5/Lewis acid and Lewis base/5 pairs work as a frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) to split dihydrogen, being in accord with the amphoteric nature of silylene 5.

Keywords: Lewis acid and base; dialkylsilylene; dihydrogen splitting; dihydrosilanes; frustrated Lewis pairs.