Multiple Reaction Pathways in Rhodium‐Catalyzed Hydrosilylations of Ketones

A detailed density functional theory (DFT) computational study (using the BP86/SV(P) and B3LYP/TZVP//BP86/SV(P) level of theory) of the rhodium‐catalyzed hydrosilylation of ketones has shown three mechanistic pathways to be viable. They all involve the generation of a cationic complex [L_nRh^I]⁺ stabilized by the coordination of two ketone molecules and the subsequent oxidative addition of the silane, which results in the Rh–silyl intermediates [L_nRh^III(H)SiHMe₂]⁺. However, they differ in the following reaction steps: in two of them, insertion of the ketone into the Rh? Si bond occurs, as previously proposed by Ojima et al., or into the Si? H bond, as proposed by Chan et al. for dihydrosilanes. The latter in particular is characterized by a very high activation barrier associated with the insertion of the ketone into the Si? H bond, thereby making a new, third mechanistic pathway that involves the formation of a silylene intermediate more likely. This “silylene mechanism” was found to have the lowest activation barrier for the rate‐determining step, the migration of a rhodium‐bonded hydride to the ketone that is coordinated to the silylene ligand. This explains the previously reported rate enhancement for R₂SiH₂ compared to R₃SiH as well as the inverse kinetic isotope effect (KIE) observed experimentally for the overall catalytic cycle because deuterium prefers to be located in the stronger bond, that is, C? D versus M? D.     

Mechanism and kinetics of the silane decomposition in the presence of acetylene and in the presence of olefins

Kinetic data and product studies are reported for the silane pyrolysis in the presence of olefins and acetylene. The kinetics of silane loss in the presence of acetylene was found to be identical to the initial gas phase silane decomposition step (SiH₄ + M → SiH₂ + H₂ + M) when corrected for pressure fall-off effects. This result and the absence of methane or ethane from the pyrolysis of SiH₄ in the presence of 1-butene or 1-pentene demonstrate that silyl radicals and H atoms are not involved in silane-olefin or silane-acetylene reactions. Qualitative aspects and kinetic data from the SiH₄ pyrolysis in the presence of propylene are in accord with propylsilane formation via propylsilylene formed by silylene addition to propylene.     

Mechanism of the silane decomposition. I. Silane loss kinetics and rate inhibition by hydrogen. II. Modeling of the silane decomposition (all stages of reaction)

Part I: Kinetic data for the static system silane pyrolysis (from 640–703 K, 60–400 torr) are presented. For conversion from 3–30%, first-order kinetics are obtained, with silane loss rates equal to half the hydrogen formation rates. At conversions greater than 40%, rate inhibition attributable to the back reaction of hydrogen with silylene occurs. Overall reaction rates are not surface sensitive, but disilane and trisilane yield maxima under some conditions are. A nonchain mechanism capable of describing quantitatively all stages of the silane pyrolysis is proposed. Post 1.0% initiation is both homogeneous (gas phase) and heterogeneous (on the walls), and reaction intermediates are silylenes and disilenes. Free radicals are not involved at any stage of the reaction. Rate data at high conversions and with added hydrogen provide kinetics for the addition of silylene to hydrogen [reaction (?1)1] relative to its addition to silane [reaction (2)]: k_?1,/k₂ = 10^?0.65 × e^{?3200 cal/RT}. With E₂ = 1300 cal, this gives a high pressure activation energy for silylene insertion into hydrogen of E_?1 = 8200 cal. Part II: An analysis is made of each rate constant of the silane mechanism and the modeling results are compared with experimental results. Agreement is excellent. It is concluded that the dominant sink reaction for silylene intermediates is 1,2—H₂ elimination from disilane (followed by Si₂H₄ polymerization and wall deposition). The model is in accord with slow isomerization between disilene and silylsilylene and near exclusive 1,2—H₂ elimination from Si₂H₆. It is also concluded that disilene is about 10 kcal/mol more stable than silylsilylene and that the activation energy for isomerization of silylsilylene to disilene is greater than 26 kcal/mol.     

Reactions of laser-generated free radicals in silicon deposition processes

The production of molecular free radicals by selective laser photolysis affords a convenient method for studying the reactions of such free radicals with surfaces. The photodeposition of silicon thin films presents an excellent example of the interplay of laser-initiated chemistry and laser-spectroscopic diagnostics in elucidating dissociation and deposition mechanisms. Infrared multiple-photon dissociation of alkyl- or arylsilanes leads to formation of silylene radical (SiH₂); a number of other dissociation products are found with phenylsilane. The electronic excited states of SiH₂ may dissociate to Si(¹D) and Si(³p) atoms, in the latter case by coupling through the a³B₁ state. Observation of the atom production threshold allows a determination of the heat of formation of SiH₂.     

Mathematical simulation of gas-phase deposition of epitaxial silicon films in the Si-C-H and Si-H systems

The effect of experimental conditions on the magnitude and uniformity of the deposition rate of epitaxial silicon obtained by chemical deposition from the gas phase in the SiCl₄-H₂, SiHCl₃-H₂, and SiH₄-H₂ systems (in the temperature ranges from 1300 to 1520 K for the chloride and 1270 to 1370 K for the silane systems) has been examined. Chloride and silane processes are compared.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1217–1222, July, 1995.     

The direct synthesis of methylchlorosilanes: New aspects concerning its mechanism

New results are given regarding the mechanism of the chemical process of copper alloyed silicon with methyl chloride (the `direct process'). As indicated by Photo-EMF measurements, carried out with doped silicon samples the reactivity of silicon significantly depends on the type of the doping with elements like phosphorus (n-type) tin, boron, indium (p-type). In-situ trapping experiments with 2,3-dimethylbutadiene are consistent with the creation of silylene intermediates SiMeCl and SiCl₂ . Theselectivity of their competitive insertion steps can be controlled by the doping type and concentrations of the doping elements, especially the phosphorus/tin ratio criterion. n-Type doping favors the silylene insertion into the C-Cl bond due to the electronic silylene stabilization on the silicon surface. In case of p-type doping silylene insertion into Si-Cl bond is favored more intensively leading to the formation of disilanes.     

Directed Gas Phase Formation of Silene (H2SiCH2)

The silene molecule (H₂SiCH₂; X¹A₁) has been synthesized under single collision conditions via the bimolecular gas phase reaction of ground state methylidyne radicals (CH) with silane (SiH₄). Exploiting crossed molecular beams experiments augmented by high-level electronic structure calculations, the elementary reaction commenced on the doublet surface through a barrierless insertion of the methylidyne radical into a silicon-hydrogen bond forming the silylmethyl (CH₂SiH₃; X²A′) complex followed by hydrogen migration to the methylsilyl radical (SiH₂CH₃; X²A′). Both silylmethyl and methylsilyl intermediates undergo unimolecular hydrogen loss to silene (H₂SiCH₂; X¹A₁). The exploration of the elementary reaction of methylidyne with silane delivers a unique view at the widely uncharted reaction dynamics and isomerization processes of the carbon–silicon system in the gas phase, which are noticeably different from those of the isovalent carbon system thus contributing to our knowledge on carbon silicon bond couplings at the molecular level.     

On the modulation of electron energy distribution function in radiofrequency SiH4, SiH4−H2 bulk plasmas

Electron energy distribution functions (EDF) in SiH₄, SiH₄–H₂ radiofrequency discharges have been calculated by solving the time-dependent Boltzmann equation in the presence of a sinusoidal field. Particular emphasis is given to the modulation of EDF as a function of the applied frequency (·10⁶/p ₀ ·10⁸ sec^–1 torr^–1) and of gas composition. The results show that at /p ₀ = ·10⁶ sec^–1 torr^–1 EDF follows in a quasistationary mode the variation of the field with the exception of a small range of electric field near to the zero crossing. Still, at the higher considered frequency (/p ₀ =·10⁸ sec^–1 torr^–1), we observe some modulation of EDF. The necessity of using a time-dependent approach is tested by comparing the present results with the corresponding ones obtained by using the effective field approximation (i.e., the approximation which solves instead of the time-dependent Boltzmann equation the corresponding stationary one at the effective values of the rf field). The two sets of results can differ by orders of magnitude in the tail of EDF, the differences decreasing with increasing molar fraction of H₂ and increasing field frequency. The role of excited states (second-kind collisions) is studied by inserting in the Boltzmann equation given concentrations of vibrational and electronic states. The results show that second-kind collisions strongly affect EDF especially in pure silane. Finally a satisfactory agreement has been found between theoretical and experimental results concerning the modulation of electrons of given energy in pure silane discharges.     

Mass spectrometric study of NF3 plasma etching of silicon

NF₃ plasma etching is used for dry cleaning of reactors after plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of hydrogenated amorphous silicon from SiH₄. The NF₃ plasma chemistry, in a closed isothermal plasma box with silicon coated walls, is analyzed by mass spectrometry of gases. Silicon is etched as SiF₄ by F atoms produced in the NF₃ dissociation into F+NF₂, or 2F+NF. The NF radicals recombine as N₂ +2F whereas the long-lived NF₂ radicals do not react with Si, but recombine as N₂F₄ This is the main limitation (or fluorine conversion into SiF₄. The pressure increase at the end point of etching is attributed to the sudden increase of F atom concentration in the gas phase and the consequent recombination q( F atoms as F₂.     

Partial molar volumes and partial molar adiabatic compressibilities of ethylenediamine complexes in water

Densities and ultrasonic propagating velocities of aqueous solutions of ethylenediamine complexes [Co(en)₃]Cl₃, [Cr(en)₃]Cl₃, [Ni(en)₃]Cl₂, and [Cu(en)₂]Cl₂ (en=ethylenediamine), as well as the ligand ethylenediamine were measured at 25°C. The infinite dilution values of the partial molar volume V ₂ ⁰ and partial molar adiabatic compressibility K _s ⁰ were evaluated. The value of K _s ⁰ of the ligand ethylenediamine is nearly zero. The values of V ₂ ⁰ and K _s ⁰ are combined with other interaction parameters, such as the Stokes radii and the viscosity B-coefficients, and their dependece upon the charge number and the stereochemistry of the complex ions is discussed.     

The deviation of the true heating rate with respect to the programmed one

The paper deals with the influence of the deviation of the true heating rate with respect to the programmed one on the values of non-isothermal kinetic parameters for the solid-gas thermal decompositions of CaC₂O₄.H₂O and [Ni(NH₃)₆]Br₂. An original method, based on integration over small ranges of the variables and making use of local heating rates, was applied in order to determine the non-isothermal kinetic parameter values. The results show significant differences between values of non-isothermal kinetic parameters obtained by using true local heating rates and those obtained by using the programmed heating rate.     

Spectroscopic detection of particles from shock-wave-induced decomposition of SiH4

Particle formation from silane pyrolysis was studied in a shock tube. Molecular and atomic species (SiH₂, SiH, Si₂, H₂, Si, H) were identified by thermal induced fluorescence at temperatures exceeding 3000 K. At temperatures below 2500 K, silicon cluster formation was detected by optical extinction measurements.     

Frustrated Lewis Pair Chelation as a Vehicle for Low‐Temperature Semiconductor Element and Polymer Deposition

The stabilization of silicon(II) and germanium(II) dihydrides by an intramolecular Frustrated Lewis Pair (FLP) ligand, PB , ⁱPr₂P(C₆H₄)BCy₂ (Cy=cyclohexyl) is reported. The resulting hydride complexes [PB{SiH₂}] and [PB{GeH₂}] are indefinitely stable at room temperature, yet can deposit films of silicon and germanium, respectively, upon mild thermolysis in solution. Hallmarks of this work include: 1) the ability to recycle the FLP phosphine‐borane ligand ( PB ) after element deposition, and 2) the single‐source precursor [PB{SiH₂}] deposits Si films at a record low temperature from solution (110 °C). The dialkylsilicon(II) adduct [PB{SiMe₂}] was also prepared, and shown to release poly(dimethylsilane) [SiMe₂]_n upon heating. Overall, this study introduces a “closed loop” deposition strategy for semiconductors that steers materials science away from the use of harsh reagents or high temperatures.     

Dominant reaction channels and the mechanism of silane decomposition in a H2-Si(s)-SiH4 glow discharge

Chemical relaxation mass spectrometry has been used to study the kinetics and mechanism in the silane-hydrogen-solid silicon system under conditions of glow discharge. The emphasis was on the main processes related to the deposition of amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon thin films. It is shown that under conditions of the deposition of a-Si and nc-Si the dominant reaction channel is the electron impact induced fragmentation of silane into molecular hydrogen and SiH₂ radical. The role of other processes, such as hydrogen abstraction, is discussed.     

Stability of crown-ether complexes with alkali-metal ions in ionic liquid-water mixed solvents

Stability constants of sodium and cesium ion complexes with 18-crown-6 (18C6) and dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6) in N-butyl-4-methyl-pyridinium tetrafluoroborate [BMP][BF₄] aqueous solutions were measured using the ²³Na and ¹³³Cs NMR technique at 23 °C. To the best of our knowledge, the estimated values of stability constants reported in this study are the first such values given for ionic liquid solutions. The cationic exchange between the free and complexed species is rapid, and only formation of the 1:1 complexes [M(18C6)]⁺ and [M(DB18C6)]⁺ (M = Na⁺, Cs⁺) were observed. The complex formation constants demonstrated a strong dependence on the [BMP][BF₄] concentration. For [M(18C6)]⁺, in solutions with a 0.33–0.70 mole fraction of water in [BMP][BF₄], lg K values are found to be more than one unit higher than the lg K values measured in pure aqueous solutions, although no information concerning the influence of [BMP][BF₄] on the complex formation selectivity could be observed. DB18C6 complexes revealed significantly lower stability under the same conditions. An extrapolation to zero water content gave the lg K = 2.42 for [Cs(18C6)]⁺ in [BMP][BF₄]. It was discovered that when added to water, [BMP][BF₄] increases the solubility of crown ethers and decreases the solubility of alkali metal nitrates. Complex formation with crown ethers enhances the solubility of alkali metal salts in [BMP][BF₄].     

Gas‐Phase Formation of the Disilavinylidene (H2SiSi) Transient

The hitherto elusive disilavinylidene (H₂SiSi) molecule, which is in equilibrium with the mono‐bridged (Si(H)SiH) and di‐bridged (Si(H₂)Si) isomers, was initially formed in the gas‐phase reaction of ground‐state atomic silicon (Si) with silane (SiH₄) under single‐collision conditions in crossed molecular beam experiments. Combined with state‐of‐the‐art electronic structure and statistical calculations, the reaction was found to involve an initial formation of a van der Waals complex in the entrance channel, a submerged barrier to insertion, intersystem crossing (ISC) from the triplet to the singlet manifold, and hydrogen migrations. These studies provide a rare glimpse of silicon chemistry on the molecular level and shed light on the remarkable non‐adiabatic reaction dynamics of silicon, which are quite distinct from those of isovalent carbon systems, providing important insight that reveals an exotic silicon chemistry to form disilavinylidene.     

The effect of experimental methods and measurement conditions on values of the kinetic parameters of [Co(NH3)6]2(C2O4)3·4H2O

Using the thermal decomposition of [Co(NH₃)₆]₂(C₂O₄)₃·4H₂O as a basis, the paper presents results which show how computed values of kinetic parameters are influenced by experimental conditions (ambient atmosphere, sample mass, linear heating rate) when using the non-isothermal methods and the Coats-Redfern (CR) modified equation. It also illustrates the influence of the experimental methods i.e. non-isothermal and isothermal (conventional) methods and also a quasiisothermal-isobaric one which can be recognised as equivalent to Constant Rate Thermal Analysis (CRTA). The results obtained have confirmed the significant influence of the experimental parameters as well as that of the experimental method used on the estimated values of kinetic parameters. The correlation between activation energy (E) and sample mass (m) or heating rate (β) is generally of a linear nature:E=a+bx     

Reduction of Carbon Oxides by an Acyclic Silylene: Reductive Coupling of CO

Reactions of a boryl‐substituted acyclic silylene with carbon dioxide and monoxide are reported. The former proceeds through oxygen atom abstraction, generating CO (with rearrangement of the putative silanone product through silyl‐group transfer). The latter is characterized by reductive coupling of CO to give an ethynediolate fragment, which undergoes formal insertion into the Si?B bond. The net conversion of carbon dioxide with two equivalents of silylene offers a route for the three‐electron reduction of CO₂ to [C₂O₂]^2?.     

Chromium(III)-Ettringite Formation and its Thermal Stability

Attempts have been made to replace aluminium(III) by chromium(III) in the ettringite structure because of practical importance of a waste treatment technology. The optimum conditions of Ca₆[Cr(OH)₆]₂(SO₄)₃⋅26H₂O formation and its thermal stability are reported. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Rate constants for silylene reactions

It is only since 1985 that the absolute rate constanss have been measured for some reactions of divalent silylene species. In this article the absolute rate constant data reported to date for the reactions of SiH₂, SiMe₂, SiMePh, SiHCl, SiCl₂, SiF₂ and SiBr₂ are reviewed and, where possible, mechanistic pathways discussed. The reactivity of silylenes is, in general, much higher than had previously been estimated on the basis of relative rate studies.