POLYORGANOSILICON COMPOUNDS IN STRAINED CARBOCYCLIC SYSTEMS

Organosilicon chemistry has been highlighted by the successful constru ction and thorough characterization of strain carbocyclic systems: 1) silabenzene, silafulvene, and polycyclic polysilane via a silylcarbene rearrangement to silene, 2) a ring-expansion reaction of disilacyclob utene with exo-methylene, and 3) cyclic polysilanes containing unsatur ated carbon systems, such as acetylene, allene, and fullerene. Some of these numerous compounds, which are now available, are fully substitu ted with bulky ligands. These compounds permit examinations of: 1) the variation in the physical and chemical properties of a system with po lysilane, and 2) how the systems are related thermally and photochemic ally with carbon analogues. Some cyclic polysilanes may constitute a s tepping stone on the way to super-molecules.