Stable Push–Pull Disilene: Substantial Donor–Acceptor Interactions through the SiSi Double Bond

The push–pull effect has been
widely used to effectively
tune π-electron systems. Herein, we report the synthesis and
properties of 1-amino-2-boryldisilene 1 as the first
push–pull disilene. Its spectroscopic and structural features
show substantial interactions between the SiSi double bond
and the amino and boryl substituents. The π → π*
absorption band of 1 is remarkably red-shifted compared
to that of the corresponding alkyl-substituted disilene 2. Treatment of 1 with H2 resulted in the
cleavage of two molecules of H2 under concomitant formation
of the corresponding trihydridodisilane and hydroborane.