A new, higher yielding synthetic route towards dodecaphenyl cage silsesquioxanes: synthesis and mechanistic insights

Cage dodecaphenylsilsesquioxane (T12-Phenyl) was synthesized in a one batch, mildly basic aqueous solution under room temperature conditions using a trialkoxysilane precursor. Significant improvements in synthetic yield (>95%) were observed compared with previous reports. Kinetic studies of the hydrolysis of phenyltrimethoxysilane were conducted and the condensation was monitored by (29)Si NMR which revealed the presence of a transient, intermediary T1 species as the pathway to dodecaphenylsilsesquioxane spherulites, and the tendency for T12 structures over T8, T10, and other substructures was explained through MM2 simulations.