Bis(trimethylsilyl)mercury is a chemical reagent with the formula (CH
3)
3-Si-Hg-Si-(CH
3)
3.
Synthesis
This compound was first synthesized by Wiberg ''et al.'' in 1963, by the reaction of
trimethylsilyl bromide
A trimethylsilyl group (abbreviated TMS) is a functional group in organic chemistry. This group consists of three methyl groups bonded to a silicon atom minus;Si(CH3)3 which is in turn bonded to the rest of a molecule. This structural group is c ...
with
sodium amalgam:
: 2 Na + Hg + TMSBr → TMS
2Hg + 2 NaBr
Reactions
On prolonged heating at 100-160 °C, or when stood under light as an ethereal solution, it decomposes to
hexamethyldisilane:
[
: TMS2Hg → (CH3)3Si-Si(CH3)3 + Hg
Reaction with ]hydrogen chloride
The compound hydrogen chloride has the chemical formula and as such is a hydrogen halide. At room temperature, it is a colourless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric water vapor. Hydrogen chloride ga ...
gives trimethylsilane and trimethylsilyl chloride:[
: TMS2Hg + HCl → TMSH + TMSCl + Hg
]
References
Further reading
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{{Mercury compounds
Mercury(II) compounds
Trimethylsilyl compounds