Synthesis and Structure of a Series of Oligo[1,1-(2,3,4,5-tetramethylsilole)]s

Abstract
A series of oligo(1,1-silole)s, Me3Si[SiC4Me4]n SiMe3 (3: n=3, 4:n=4, 5:n=5) were synthesized and characterized. X-ray diffraction analysis of tersilole 3 revealed that the pentasilane backbone has almost all-trans conformation. The oligo(1,1-silole)s show distinct UV absorptions due to σ-σ*, σ-π*, and π-π* transitions.