Le probleme de la conjugaison a travers un atome de silicium π-lie dans les systemes sila-2 butadieniques

The chemical behaviour of sila-2 butadienes, formed as transient intermediates either by thermolysis or by photolysis of various 1-vinylsilacyclobutanes, was studied with respect to hydroxylated compounds of different pKa values Two mechanisms can explain the nature of the products obtained on the co-thermolysis of the cyclic compounds with phenol, one with 1-silacyclobut-1-ene intermediate and the other involving an allylic silicenium cation. In both hypothetical mechanisms, the 2-silabutadienes behave as a conjugated system since they lead either to (2+2) cycloaddition or to (1,2)- and (1,4)-electrophilic addition. This evidence for a conjugation phenomenon through a silicon atom is supported by the calculation of the delocalisation energies of butadiene and 2-silabutadiene.