Synthesis, characterization, and crystal structure of cyclotrisilene: A three-membered ring compound with a Si-Si double bond

Abstract

Red-orange crystals of cyclotrisilene 3 were obtained by the reaction of the dibromotrisilane 1 and the tribromodisilane 2 with sodium in toluene [Eq. (1)]. The X-ray crystal structure of 3 shows that the three-membered ring is almost an isosceles triangle and has a twisted Si-Si double bond with a length of 2.138(2) Å.