Syntheses of organofunctional siloxanes containing metal-ligating sidechains

Abstract

A range of tri-, tetra-, and penta-siloxanes of general formula Me₃SiO[SiMe(R)O]_nSiMe₃(R = vinyl, n= 1–3; R = an alkyl chain terminated by the potential metal-ligating entities CHCH₂, Ph, CN, cyclohexenyl, pyridine, and PPh₂, n= 1 or 2) have been synthesised from commercially available dichlorosilanes by one of three procedures. The products are air-stable oils with the exception of the pyridine- and phosphine-functionalised compounds which react vigorously with oxygen, and the spectroscopic properties of corresponding organofunctional siloxanes are very similar showing little dependence on n.