Photolyses of a series of octaalkylcyclotetrasilanes (1) in a hydrocarbon solvent successively afforded hexaalkylcyclotrisilanes (2) and tetraalkyldisilenes (3). Compounds 2 and 3 were found to exhibit their absorption bands corresponding to the lowest energy transitions at λmax 300–330 and 390–440 nm, respectively.

including (1) and (2) were also discussed from a comparative viewpoint with respect to the ring shape and the relationship between ring size and Si-Si bond length.

The reaction of 1,2-dichlorotetraalkyldisilanes, Cl(R1R2Si)2Cl (R1=R2=iPr; R1, R2=iPr, Me; R1, R2=Me3SiCH2, Me; R1, R2=tBuCH2, Me; R1, R2=tBu, Me), with an excess amount of lithium in tetrahydrofuran gave the corresponding peralkylcyclopolysilanes, [R1R2Si]n (n=4–5), under mild conditions.

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