Tris(trichlorosilyl)tetrelide Anions and a Comparative Study of Their Donor Qualities.

Trichlorosilylated tetrelides [(Cl ₃ Si) ₃ E] ^- have been prepared by adding 1 equiv of a soluble Cl ^- salt to (Cl ₃ Si) ₄ Si (E=Si) or 4 Si ₂ Cl ₆ /GeCl ₄ (E=Ge). To assess their donor qualities, the anions [(Cl ₃ Si) ₃ E] ^- (E=C, Si, Ge) have been treated with BCl ₃ , AlCl ₃ , and GaCl ₃ . Both BCl ₃ and GaCl ₃ give 1:1 adducts with the anionic centers. AlCl ₃ leads to Cl ^- abstraction from [(Cl ₃ Si) ₃ E] ^- with formation of (Cl ₃ Si) ₄ E (E=Si or Ge). (Cl ₃ Si) ₄ Ge is cleanly converted to the perhydrogenated (H ₃ Si) ₄ Ge by use of Li[AlH ₄ ]. Another case of Cl ^- abstraction was observed for [(Cl ₃ Si) ₃ Ge⋅GaCl ₃ ] ^- , which reacts with GaCl ₃ to afford the neutral dimer [(Cl ₃ Si) ₃ Ge-GaCl ₂ ] ₂ .
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