Synthesis of square-planar silicon(IV) hydride shows unique bonding and reactivity, indicating potential in bond activation.
Square‐planar coordination at tetravalent silicon is highly disfavored, rendering structurally authenticated Si(+IV) complexes of this type exceedingly rare. Herein, we report the synthesis and isolation of a square‐planar silicon(+IV) hydride supported by an unsymmetric, trianionic N , N , N ‐pincer ligand with a dearomatised backbone. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction confirms a strictly planar, four‐coordinate silicon centre, with spectroscopic data and quantum‐chemical calculations providing complementary support for this bonding motif. Reactivity studies demonstrate element–ligand cooperative substrate activation driven by ligand rearomatisation, thereby paralleling constant‐oxidation‐state transformations in late transition metal systems and challenging the prevailing reliance on low‐valent p‐block species for bond activation.
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Krengel et al. (2026) studied this question.
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