From silicon(II)-based dioxygen activation to adducts of elusive dioxasiliranes and sila-ureas stable at room temperature
Converting dioxygen into more reactive species is extremely useful for direct oxygenation of organic compounds, but doing this with cheap and non-polluting elements is difficult. Now, a carbene-activated silylene has been shown to activate dioxygen even at low temperature, resulting in the isolation of elusive silicon?oxygen species at room temperature.
The results by Matthias Driess et al. in "Nature Chemistry" published online 30 May 2010 could pave the way to silicon-based catalysts for dioxygen activation.
Nature Chemistry, DOI: 10.1038/nchem.666;