Chemical behavior of acylpolysilanes,
(Me3Si)3SiCOR (1a, R = Mes;
1b, R = o-Tol; 1c, R
= Ad; 1d, R = t-Bu; 1g, R = Ph;
1h, R = Me), toward silyllithium reagents has been
studied.
Reactions of 1a−d with
[tris(trimethylsilyl)silyl]lithium gave the
corresponding lithium
silenolates, (Me3Si)2SiCROLi
(5a, R = Mes; 5b, R = o-Tol;
5c, R = Ad; 5d, R = t-Bu),
in
high yield by removal of a trimethylsilyl group from the
acylpolysilane. However, a similar
reaction of 1g gave an unstable lithium silenolate, which
undergoes dimerization and then
further reactions under the conditions used. Acetylpolysilane
1h did not afford the lithium
silenolate but gave lithium
[tris(trimethylsilyl)silyl]ethenolate. Lithium
silenolate 5a was
produced also by treating 1a with
(dimethylphenylsilyl)lithium. The reactions of
1b,c with
(dimethylphenylsilyl)lithium proceed in a different fashion from
that of 1a to afford products
arising from addition of the silyllithium to the carbonyl bond as major
products. Lithium
silenolates 5a,c,d are stable at low
temperature in THF solution and can be characterized
by NMR spectroscopy. Silenolates 5a−d
reacted with alkyl halides to afford Si-alkylated
products in high yield. Treatment of 5a,b
with chlorotriethylsilane led to the formation of
silenes arising from O-silylation of the lithium silenolates, almost
quantitatively, while 5c,d
gave the corresponding acylpolysilanes by Si-silylation in high yield.
Results of theoretical
studies which were carried out using the reaction of
(H3Si)3SiCOCH3 with
H3SiLi as a model
also are described.