Organosilicon compounds. Part XLIX. Some reactions of bis(triphenylsilyl)mercury

Abstract

Bis(triphenylsilyl)mercury, prepared by the reaction of dibenzylmercury with triphenylsilane, decomposes on heating to give mercury and hexaphenyldisilane, along with traces of triphenylsilane, tetraphenylsilane, pentaphenyldisilane, and octaphenyltrisilane. Photolysis or pyrolysis in benzene gives the above products, with larger quantities of tetraphenylsilane; the reaction in toluene at 81 and at 220° gives additionally the tolyltriphenylsilanes (at the low temperature only), benzyltriphenylsilane (more at the higher temperature), and bibenzyl. Though the solid mercury compound is fairly stable to air and water, solutions in inert solvents react rapidly with air (to give mercury and hexaphenyldisiloxane) and with water (to give mercury, triphenylsilanol, and hydrogen as the major products). Radical and molecular reactions are proposed. The thermal decomposition of bis(triphenylsilyl)mercury appears to involve homolytic fission, in contrast to that of bis(trimethylsilyl)mercury, for which molecular reactions appear to be important.