Double chemical action yields double success
Friday, March 16, 2012 - 09:30
in Physics & Chemistry
Molecules containing silicon double bonds, or disilenes, can be nearly twice as responsive to light as double-bonded hydrocarbonsa feature that makes them irresistible to researchers developing novel devices such as organic light-emitting diodes. But because disilenes are difficult to isolate and tend to polymerize, chemists struggle to control them with their usual synthetic tricks. Now, Kohei Tamao and colleagues from the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute in Wako have discovered a unique halogen-substituted disilene complex that makes assembling advanced conjugated materials easier than ever before.