A new pseudopolymorph of perchlorinated neo-penta-silane: the benzene monosolvate Si(SiCl3)4·C6H6.

A new pseudopolymorph of dodeca-chloro-penta-silane, namely a benzene monosolvate, Si5Cl12·C6H6, is described. There are two half mol-ecules of each kind in the asymmetric unit. Both Si5Cl12 mol-ecules are completed by crystallographic twofold symmetry. One of the benzene mol-ecules is located on a twofold rotation axis with two C-H groups located on this rotation axis. The second benzene mol-ecule has all atoms on a general position: it is disordered over two equally occupied orientations. No directional inter-actions beyond normal van der Waals contacts occur in the crystal.