Pentacoordinate silicon complexes with dynamic motion resembling a pendulum on the SN2 reaction pathwayElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. CCDC 927438927443. For ESI and crystallographic data in CIF or other electronic format see DOI: 10.1039/c3dt50613d

A series of glutarimide derivatives which has two carbonyl coordination sites for intramolecular pentacoordination at silicon with a X 1+ n SiC 3 n O moiety have been synthesised and characterized. The substituent (leaving group) effects on the SiO bond exchange between the two coordination sites (resembling a pendulum) have been studied by comparison of the differently substituted (X = F, Cl, OTf, Br and I) structures. The activation parameters for the SiO bond exchange process were measured by NMR and separately computed and are consistent with the strength of SiO bond coordination and the nature of the leaving group, X. The temperature-dependent 29 Si NMR spectroscopy is supported by X-ray crystallography and shows that the tetrahedral reactant is converted into pentacoordinate intermediates by intramolecular OSi association followed by reversion to a tetrahedral geometry by SiX dissociation. The two association/dissociation patterns offer a model for nucleophilic substitution at a silicon atom. A continuum of structures on the S N 2 reaction profile from the glutarimide derivatives correlates reasonably well with the structural data obtained from derivatives of lactams, diketopiperazines and quinolones. Synthesis and structural characterization of pentacoordinate silicon complexes with dynamic motion resembling a pendulum on the S N 2 reaction pathway.