Transition metal silylenes (M=SiR2) exhibit unusual, promising reactive pathways with potential catalytic applications, but silylenes featuring abundant first-row metals such as iron or cobalt are extremely rare. We have synthesized the first cobalt silylenes by incorporating Si into a pincer-type ligand backbone and report early studies of reactivity, including a bimetallic, redox-cooperative reductive cleavage of carbon dioxide.  To elucidate the underlying reasons for this reactivity, we have used density functional theory (DFT) to understand reactions of cationic cobalt silylenes with carbon dioxide and the isoelectronic phenyl isocyanate. We will also present comparative findings on analogous iridium systems.

Synthetic and computational investigation of cobalt silylene reactivity

2019 Spring National Meeting

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