Synthesis and reactions of a stable 1,2-diaryl-1,2-dibromodisilene: a precursor for substituted disilenes and a 1,2-diaryldisilyne.

Synthesis and isolation of the stable diaryldibromodisilene, Bbt(Br)SiSi(Br)Bbt, has been accomplished for the first time. The dibromodisilene underwent substitution reactions with organometallic reagents on the low-coordinated silicon atom to afford the corresponding substituted disilenes. Furthermore, the reaction of 1 with t-BuLi afforded the corresponding 1,2-diaryldisilyne, BbtSi[triple bond]SiBbt, the characters of which were revealed by spectroscopic and crystallographic analyses.