| Abstract: | Because of the length scales involved, nanocomposite materials incorporate extensive interracial interactions that can result in non-linear changes in the composite property. Chemists often start from polymerizable inorganic and organic constituents in the molecule to build organic/inorganic hybrids that combine advantageous properties of disparate components.Silsesquioxanes (RSiO1.5)n, derived from e.g. RSiCl3 or RSi(OEt)3 by hydrolysis/condensation in a sol-gel process, are a class of silicate framework where each Si-atom is linked covalently to an organic radical R that chemically modifies the silicates. In addition to incompletely condensed silsesquioxanes is the completely condensed octasilsesquioxane. These octameric silsesquioxanes are in transition between small molecules and macroscopic materials with skeletal frameworks found in crystalline forms of silica and zeolites. SisO12(CH=CH2)8 1 has a cubic silica like core and 8 olefin functionalities as known for a long time yet with very few reactivity reports. The acidic hydrolytic polycondensation of (vinyl)Si(OEt)3 in the literature, leading to only less than 20% of 1,also suggests a large room for improvement. We have found that the H NMR spectra of mixtures containing 1 and either the Schrock's catalyst or the Grubbs' catalyst never exhibit vinylic 1H peaks attributable to the formation of products from self-metathesis. With a Pt/C catalyst, the H-Si bond of HSiMe2Cl adds to the vinylic double bond of 1, forming 2 that reacts with sufficient CH2=CHCH2OH to give 3. Upon treatment of the Grubbs' catalyst, a ring-closing metathesis occurs on the surface of the cubic Si8O12 framework. The results exhibit a strong proximity effect with which 3 transforms itself to 4. Alternatively 5 has been prepared.The Gmbbs' catalyst allows 5 to isomerize from Z- to E-configuration to produce 4 independentiy, thus demonstrating the ring-closing metathesis reactions of densely populated terminal olefins on Si8O12 surface. |
