292 Organometallics, Vol. 9, No. 1, 1990
Book Reviews
Book Reviews T h e Molecular S t r u c t u r e of Organosilicon Compounds. By E. Lukevics, 0. A. Pudova, and R. Ya. Sturkovich. Zinatne Publishers, Riga, USSR. 1988. 295 pages. 1.7 rubles. Structural studies are of great importance in theoretical organosilicon chemistry, since they provide valuable information concerning the nature of the bonding of the silicon atom to other elements and the character of intra- and intermolecular interactions in molecules of organic and heteroorganic compounds. Although there is a large body of data on the structure of organosilicon compounds, obtained by electron, neutron, and X-ray diffraction and microwave spectroscopy, these data have not been summarized systematically until recently. This gap is filled by the present book. The monograph consists of four chapters. Chapter 1,devoted to organylsilanes, deals with structural peculiarities of organylhydrosilanes, carbofunctional organylsilanes, tetraorganylsilanes, silacycloalkanes (from three- to nine-membered ones), and silaheterocycloalkanes containing heteroatoms such as nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and selenium. This chapter contains also some limited but rather interesting data on the structure of silaethylenes bearing the Si=C double bond. Chapter 2 considers the structure of linear and cyclic polysilanes and various heterocycles containing, apart from the Si-Si bond, different heteroatoms or a multiple bond. Unfortunately, the book includes no data reported during the last 2 years on the structure of long-chain polysilanes, some of which show a number of promising electrophysical properties. The structure of compounds having the Si=Si bond is also
discussed in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 is concerned with organosilicon hetero compounds containing mainly a Si-M bond (M is a group I-VI1 element). The largest section of this chapter (52 pages) deals with the structures of compounds containing Si-N-C, Si-N-Si, and SiN-M groups. In the monograph much attention is given to the molecular structure of compounds with the siloxane Si-0 bond (silanols, alkoxysilanes, siloxanes, heterosiloxanes), the question of the siloxane bond order being discussed in terms of Si-0 interatomic distances. Little consideration (only 4 pages) has been given to halosilanes, which are very essential monomers. Chapter 4 deals with the molecular structure of hypervalent silicon compounds including silatranes and their analogues, (aroy1oxy)methyltrifluorosilanesand their analogues (containing a pentacoordinate silicon atom), and addition compounds of halosilanes (having a hexacoordinate silicon atom). An impressive and comprehensive (but not exhaustive) bibliography covers over 1500 references updated to the middle of 1987. The book is well organized; its vast information is readily perceived due to clear formulas and well-tabulated material. There is an index of compounds, which makes the search much easier. This handbook will be of help t o the specialists involved in the areas of the organic and inorganic (non-silicate) chemistry of silicon.
M. G . Voronkov, Siberian Division, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Zrkutsk
