The finding that compounds of the type (Me3Si) 2 (PhMe2Si) CSiMePhX react with electrophiles to give very predominantly rearranged products (Me3Si) 2 (Ph2MeSi) CSiMe2Y, which would be expected to be thermodynamically disfavoured, can be rationalized in terms of a mechanism in which the anchimerically-assisted departure of X− gives the Ph-bridged cation [(Me3Si) 2CSiMe 2 (μ-Ph) Si MePh]+ which is attacked by the ...