Silanes refers to diverse kinds of charge-neutral silicon compounds with the formula . The R substituents can any combination of organic or inorganic groups. Most silanes contain Si-C bonds, and are discussed under

organosilicon compound Organosilicon compounds are organometallic compounds containing carbon–silicon chemical bond, bonds. Organosilicon chemistry is the corresponding science of their preparation and properties. Most organosilicon compounds are similar to the ordin ...

s. Examples: *

Silane Silane is an inorganic compound with chemical formula, . It is a colourless, pyrophoric, toxic gas with a sharp, repulsive smell, somewhat similar to that of acetic acid. Silane is of practical interest as a precursor to elemental silicon. Sila ...

, the parent. *

Binary silicon-hydrogen compounds Silanes are saturated chemical compounds with the empirical formula SixHy. They are hydrosilanes, a class of compounds that includes compounds with Si-H and other Si-X bonds. All contain tetrahedral silicon and terminal hydrides. They only have ...

(which are sometimes called silanes also) includes silane itself but also compounds with Si-Si bonds including

disilane Disilane is a chemical compound with chemical formula Si2H6 that was identified in 1902 by Henri Moissan and Samuel Smiles (1877–1953). Moissan and Smiles reported disilane as being among the products formed by the action of dilute acids on meta ...

and longer chains. *Silanes with one, two, three, or four Si-H bonds are called

hydrosilane Hydrosilanes are tetravalent silicon compounds containing one or more Si-H bond. The parent hydrosilane is silane (SiH4). Commonly, hydrosilane refers to organosilicon derivatives. Examples include phenylsilane (PhSiH3) and triethoxysilane ((C2 ...

s. Silane itself is the parent member. Examples:

triethylsilane Triethylsilane is the organosilicon compound with the formula (C2H5)3SiH. It is a trialkylsilane. The Si-H bond is reactive. This colorless liquid is used in organic synthesis as a reducing agent and as a precursor to silyl ethers. As one of th ...

() and triethoxysilane (). *

Polysilanes Polysilanes are organosilicon compounds with the formula (R2Si)n. They are relatives of traditional organic polymers but their backbones are composed of silicon atoms. They exhibit distinctive optical and electrical properties. They are mainly use ...

are organosilicon compounds with the formula . They include all

binary silicon-hydrogen compounds Silanes are saturated chemical compounds with the empirical formula SixHy. They are hydrosilanes, a class of compounds that includes compounds with Si-H and other Si-X bonds. All contain tetrahedral silicon and terminal hydrides. They only have ...

except the parent, although these tend to be less useful because they are fragile. Attracting more interest, are the organic derivatives such as polydimethylsilane and

dodecamethylcyclohexasilane Dodecamethylcyclohexasilane is the organosilicon compound with the formula . It is one of the more readily prepared and easily handled polysilanes. Dodecamethylcyclohexasilane is produced by reduction of dimethyldichlorosilane with sodium-potassi ...

Chlorosilane Chlorosilanes are a group of reactive, chlorine-containing chemical compounds, related to silane and used in many chemical processes. Each such chemical has at least one silicon-chlorine bond. Trichlorosilane is produced on the largest scale. The p ...

s have Si-Cl bonds. Examples:

trichlorosilane Trichlorosilane is an inorganic compound with the formula HCl3Si. It is a colourless, volatile liquid. Purified trichlorosilane is the principal precursor to ultrapure silicon in the semiconductor industry. In water, it rapidly decomposes to pr ...

() and

tetrachlorosilane Silicon tetrachloride or tetrachlorosilane is the inorganic compound with the formula SiCl4. It is a colourless volatile liquid that fumes in air. It is used to produce high purity silicon and silica for commercial applications. Preparation Si ...

() *Organosilanes are a class of charge-neutral

s. Example:

tetramethylsilane Tetramethylsilane (abbreviated as TMS) is the organosilicon compound with the formula Si(CH3)4. It is the simplest tetraorganosilane. Like all silanes, the TMS framework is tetrahedral. TMS is a building block in organometallic chemistry but also ...

() By tradition, compounds with Si-O-Si bonds are usually not referred to as silanes. Instead, they are called siloxanes. One example is

hexamethyldisiloxane Hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) is an organosilicon compound with the formula O i(CH3)3sub>2. This volatile colourless liquid is used as a solvent and as a reagent in organic synthesis. It is prepared by the hydrolysis of trimethylsilyl chloride. ...

, .

References

{{reflist Silanes Trimethylsilyl compounds Carbosilanes

See also

References