Chlorine/Methyl exchange reactions in silylated aminostibanes: a new route to stibinostibonium cations

The Lewis acid assisted triflate/methyl, azide/methyl, and chlorine/methyl exchange reactions between silicon and antimony have been studied in the reaction of R(Me(3)Si)N-SbCl(2) (R = Ter) with AgOTf, AgN(3), KOtBu, GaCl(3), and Me(3)SiN(3)/GaCl(3), resulting in the formation of different methylantimony compounds. Furthermore, R(Me(3)Si)N-SbCl(2) (R = SiMe(3)) was reacted with GaCl(3) at low temperatures to yield a hitherto unreported amino(chloro)stibenium cation, the proposed intermediate in methyl exchange reactions. Tetrachloridogallate salts bearing different stibinostibonium cations such as (Me(3)Sb)SbMe(2)](+) and (Me(3)Sb)(2)SbMe](2+) along with the GaCl(3) adduct of SbMe(3) were isolated from such R(Me(3)Si)N-SbCl(2)/GaCl(3) mixtures (R = SiMe(3)) at ambient temperatures, depending on the reaction parameters.