Silanes

Class of organosilicon compounds with the formula SiR4

In organosilicon chemistry, silanes are a diverse class of charge-neutral organic compounds with the general formula SiR4. The R substituents can any combination of organic[1] or inorganic groups.[2] Most silanes contain Si-C bonds, and are discussed under organosilicon compounds. Some contain Si-H bonds and are discussed under hydrosilanes.

Examples

  • Silane SiH
    4    , the parent.
  • Binary silicon-hydrogen compounds (which are sometimes called silanes also) includes silane itself but also compounds with Si-Si bonds including disilane and longer chains.
  • Silanes with one, two, three, or four Si-H bonds are called hydrosilanes. Silane is again the parent member. Examples: triethylsilane (HSi(C
    2    H
    5    )
    3    ) and triethoxysilane (HSi(OC
    2    H
    5    )
    3    ).
  • Polysilanes are organosilicon compounds with the formula (R
    2    Si)
    n    . They feature Si-Si bonds. Attracting more interest are the organic derivatives such as polydimethylsilane ((CH
    3    )
    2    Si)
    n    . Dodecamethylcyclohexasilane ((CH
    3    )
    2    Si)
    6     is an oligomer of such materials. Formally speaking, polysilanes also include compounds of the type (SiH2)n, but these less studied.
  • Chlorosilanes have Si-Cl bonds. The dominant examples come from the Direct process, i.e., (CH3)4-xSiClx. Another important member is trichlorosilane (SiHCl
    3    ).
  • Organosilanes are a class of charge-neutral organosilicon compounds. Example: tetramethylsilane (Si(CH
    3    )
    4    )

By tradition, compounds with Si-O-Si bonds are usually not referred to as silanes. Instead, they are called siloxanes. One example is hexamethyldisiloxane, ((CH
3)
3Si)
2O.

Applications

See compound-specific applications. Commonly:

  • Polysilicone production
  • PEX crosslinking agent

See also

References

  1. ^ Elschenbroich, C. (2016) [2006]. Organometallics (3rd ed.). Wiley. ISBN 978-3-527-80514-3.
  2. ^ Simmler, W. "Silicon Compounds, Inorganic". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a24_001. ISBN 978-3527306732.