Theoretical investigation of the addition reaction of the aluminum chlorosilylenoid H(2)SiAlCl(3) with ethylene.

The addition reaction of the aluminum chlorosilylenoid H2SiAlCl3 with ethylene was investigated using the M06-2X and QCISD methods for the first time. The calculated results demonstrate that the addition reaction proceeds via two pathways: path I involves just one transition state, while path II involves two transition states. Path I is more feasible dynamically, as it has a lower barrier height than path II. The effect of the solvent CH2Cl2 was taken into consideration using the PCM model. The results indicated that the addition reaction is less likely to occur in CH2Cl2 solvent than in vacuum. This work has therefore highlighted a new pathway for the synthesis of silicon heterocyclic compounds. Graphical Abstract Relative energies (in kJ·mol(-1)) of the stationary points along the potential energy surfaces of the addition reaction of H2SiAlCl3 with C2H4 (values in parentheses were calculated in CH2Cl2 solvent).