Tetra-functional double-decker silsesquioxanes as anchors for reactive functional groups and potential synthons for hybrid materials.

A series of double-decker silsesquioxane derivatives with four reactive functional groups were designed, efficiently synthesized, and characterized. These novel inorganic-organic hybrids show highly attractive features for applications as building blocks with Si-O-Si rigid cores (good thermal properties) with four reactive moieties, which can be functionalized in further processes.

Synthesis of a new class of silsesquioxanes with alkynyl and germyl functionality.

Although there are a variety of functional compounds in the vast family of silsesquioxanes (POSS), the number of protocols describing specific monosubstituted silsesquioxanes is limited. There are even fewer reports on alkynyl and/or germyl functionalities appearing together with the POSS compounds. Here, a series of novel kinds of cubic monosubstituted POSS bearing alkynyl and germyl functionality in one molecule are reported. These compounds were synthesized by effective germylative coupling of terminal alkynes with vinylgermanes in the presence of a Ru-H complex. The structures of the products were determined. Moreover, stoichiometric reactions of a complex possessing Ru-Ge were also performed to propose the general mechanistic scheme of this reaction.