A novel
synthetic method for the construction of a double-decker
silsesquioxane from fluorosilanes was developed. Phenyl-substituted
double-decker silsesquioxane was prepared under mild conditions by
coupling difluorodiphenylsilane and a tetrasiloxanolate precursor.
A similar reaction was performed using difluorovinylsilane, and a
divinyl double-decker silsesquioxane was obtained. The one-step reaction
of a functional difluorosilane containing an aminopropyl group afforded
a novel double-decker silsesquioxane with two amino groups complexed
with BF3, which can react with carboxylic acid anhydrides
to afford an amide product. This synthetic method using difluorosilane
is tolerant of a wide range of functional groups and is applicable
to the synthesis of polycyclic silsesquioxanes bearing amino groups,
which are difficult to directly obtain from dichlorosilane.