An <i>N</i>-Heterocyclic Carbene−Disilyne Complex and Its Reactivity toward ZnCl₂

The reaction of disilyne 1 with 1,3,4,5-tetramethylimidazol-2-ylidene (an N-heterocyclic carbene, NHC) produced the disilyne−NHC complex 2, RLSiSiR: (R = SiiPr[CH(SiMe3)2]2, L = NHC), with a trans geometry of the SiSi moiety and lone-pair electrons residing on one of the double-bonded Si atoms. Upon complexation of 2 with ZnCl2, the disilyne−NHC−ZnCl2 complex 3 was produced, in which the SiSi bond adopted the cis geometry.