Formation of hexacoordinate complexes of PhCCSiF3 with 2,2'-bipyridine and with 1,10-phenanthroline through intermolecular silicon...nitrogen interactions

Bidentate intermolecular Si...N interactions were utilized to form new hypervalent complexes of trifluoro-phenylethynyl-silane with 2,2'-bipyridine and with 1,10-phenanthroline. X-ray structures obtained for these complexes display a somewhat distorted octahedral geometry about the silicon atom. Binding constants ranging from 170 to 1600 M(-1) at 25 degrees C in CDCl3 were measured for the formation of these complexes, suggesting that such hypervalent complexes of silicon could be used as new motifs in supramolecular chemistry.