Triethylsilane is the

organosilicon compound Organosilicon chemistry is the study of organometallic compounds containing carbon–silicon bonds, to which they are called organosilicon compounds. Most organosilicon compounds are similar to the ordinary organic compounds, being colourless, f ...

with the formula (C₂H₅)₃SiH. It is a trialkylsilane. The Si-H bond is reactive. It was first discovered by

Albert Ladenburg Albert Ladenburg (2 July 184215 August 1911) was a German chemist. Early life and education Ladenburg was a member of the well-known Jewish in Mannheim. He was educated at a Realgymnasium at Mannheim and then, after the age of 15, at the tech ...

in 1872 among the products of reduction of

tetraethyl orthosilicate Tetraethyl orthosilicate, formally named tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), ethyl silicate is the organic chemical compound with the formula Si(OC2H5)4. TEOS is a colorless liquid. It degrades in water. TEOS is the of orthosilicic acid, Si(OH)4. It ...

with

sodium Sodium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Na (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 element, group 1 of the peri ...

and

diethylzinc Diethylzinc, or DEZ, is an organozinc compound with the chemical formula . It is highly pyrophoric and reactive, consisting of a zinc center bound to two ethyl groups. This colourless liquid is an important reagent in organic chemistry. It is avail ...

. He also prepared it by a stepwise reduction via ethoxytriethylsilane and named it silicoheptyl hydride, reflecting the idea of a silicon compound analogous to a seven-carbon hydrocarbon. This colorless liquid is used in

organic synthesis Organic synthesis is a branch of chemical synthesis concerned with the construction of organic compounds. Organic compounds are molecules consisting of combinations of covalently-linked hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen atoms. Within the gen ...

as a

reducing agent In chemistry, a reducing agent (also known as a reductant, reducer, or electron donor) is a chemical species that "donates" an electron to an (called the , , , or ). Examples of substances that are common reducing agents include hydrogen, carbon ...

and as a precursor to silyl ethers. As one of the simplest trialkylsilanes that is a liquid at room temperature, triethylsilane is often used in studies of

hydrosilylation Hydrosilylation, also called catalytic hydrosilation, describes the addition of Si-H bonds across unsaturated bonds."Hydrosilylation A Comprehensive Review on Recent Advances" B. Marciniec (ed.), Advances in Silicon Science, Springer Science, 200 ...

catalysis.

Additional reading

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References

{{Reflist Reducing agents Carbosilanes