Abstract: The photochemical and thermal oxidation of 1-methylsilene (24lapropene)(la), 1, l- dimethylsilene (lb), and 1, 1, 2&methylsilene (IC) has been investigated in 02-doped argon matrices. All silenes 1 are easily photooxidized in matrices containing more than 1% 02, but trimethylsilene (IC) is the only silene that exhibits thermal reactivity toward oxygen at temperatures as low as 20-40 K. The photochemical reactivity increases from la to IC with ...
