Stable Push-Pull Disilene: Substantial Donor-Acceptor Interactions through the Si═Si Double Bond.

The push-pull effect has been widely used to effectively tune π-electron systems. Herein, we report the synthesis and properties of 1-amino-2-boryldisilene 1 as the first push-pull disilene. Its spectroscopic and structural features show substantial interactions between the Si═Si double bond and the amino and boryl substituents. The π → π* absorption band of 1 is remarkably red-shifted compared to that of the corresponding alkyl-substituted disilene 2. Treatment of 1 with H2 resulted in the cleavage of two molecules of H2 under concomitant formation of the corresponding trihydridodisilane and hydroborane.