Stable silylenes

The field of stable silylene research has grown dramatically since the firs t isolation of a stable silylene in 1994. Prior to 1994, silylenes existed only as reactive intermediates, isolable only in low-temperature matrixes. Since then, several stable silylenes have been synthesized, some in fact sh owing remarkable thermal stability. This Account highlights the development s in stable silylene chemistry, including theoretical and experimental stud ies attempting to explain the remarkable stability of the silylenes as well as the rapidly expanding reaction chemistry of the stable silylenes.