The E-and Z-isomers of 1-methyl-l-phenyl-2-neopentylsilene, generated by the sealed tube thermolyses of their anthracene adducts are stereospecifically trapped by trimethylmethoxysilane to give diastereomeric adducts. The temperature dependence of the...
The E-and Z-isomers of 1-methyl-l-phenyl-2-neopentylsilene, generated by the sealed tube thermolyses of their anthracene adducts are stereospecifically trapped by trimethylmethoxysilane to give diastereomeric adducts. The temperature dependence of the ratio of the two diastereomers obtained when the silene formed from the pure E-or Z-anthracene adduct was trapped at higher temperatures permitted the determination of an activation energy for the silene isomerization. The activation energies for the E-to Z-and Z-to E-silene isomerization are $45{\pm}$6 and $20{\pm}4$ kcal $mol^{-1}$, respectively. The significance of these values is discussed.