Parallel-stacked aromatic molecules in hydrogen-bonded inorganic frameworks.

By precisely constructing molecules and assembling these into well-defined supramolecular structures, novel physical properties and functionalities can be realized, and new areas of the chemical space can be accessed. In both materials science and biology, a deeper understanding of the properties and exploitation of the reversible character of weak bonds and interactions, such as hydrogen bonds and π-π interactions, is anticipated to lead to the development of materials with novel properties and functionalities. We apply the hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) strategy to inorganic materials science using the cubic octamer of orthosilicic acid, [SiO][OH], as a building block, and find that various types of hydrogen-bonded inorganic frameworks (HIFs).

Treating octasilanol [SiO][OH] with tetramethoxysilane and trimethoxyvinylsilane: a halogen-free synthetic route to alkoxysilyl-substituted double-four-ring siloxanes.

The synthesis of methoxysilyl-substituted siloxanes with a double-four-ring (D4R) framework [Si8O12][OSiR(OMe)2]8 (R = OMe or vinyl) via the dealcoholative coupling between silanol [Si8O12][OH]8 and alkoxysilane was accomplished and achieved a halogen-free synthetic process. The solid-state structure of [Si8O12][OSi(OMe)3]8 was determined via a single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.

Non-aqueous selective synthesis of orthosilicic acid and its oligomers.

Orthosilicic acid (Si(OH)) and its small condensation compounds are among the most important silicon compounds but have never been isolated, due to their instability. These compounds would be highly useful building blocks for advanced materials if they became available at high purity. Here we show a simple procedure to selectively synthesize orthosilicic acid and its dimer, cyclic trimer and tetramer in organic solvents.