Unusual nucleophilic reactivity of a dithiolene-based N-heterocyclic silane

Abstract

While the dithiolene-based N-heterocyclic silane (4) reacts with two equivalents of BX₃ (X = Br, I) to give zwitterionic Lewis adducts 5 and 8, respectively, the parallel reaction of 4 with BCl₃ results in 10, a dithiolene-substituted N-heterocyclic silane, via the Si–S bond cleavage. Unlike 5, the labile 8 may be readily converted to 9via BI₃-mediated cleavage of the Si–N bond. The formation of 5 and 8 confirms that 4 uniquely possesses dual nucleophilic sites: (a) the terminal sulphur atom of the dithiolene moiety; and (b) the backbone carbon of the N-heterocyclic silane unit.