Polyhedral Phenylsilsesquioxanes

Our objectives are to provide a comprehensive review solely concerning the synthesis and chemistries of polyhedral phenylsilsesquioxanes. The review covers the basic efforts to synthesize and characterize the compounds [PhSiO 1.5 ] 8, [PhSiO 1.5 ] 10, and [PhSiO 1.5 ] 12 . Thereafter, we discuss general methods of functionalizing these compounds with emphasis on electrophilic substitution to produce, for example, [NO 2 PhSiO 1.5 ] 8, [NO 2 PhSiO 1.5 ] 12, [ p -IPhSiO 1.5 ] 8, [ p -IPhSiO 1.5 ] 10, [ p -IPhSiO 1.5 ] 12, [ o- BrPhSiO 1.5 ] 8, [2,5Br 2 PhSiO 1.5 ] 8, and [Br 3 PhSiO 1.5 ] 8 as well as Friedel−Crafts alkylation products. Second-generation compounds and nanocomposite materials derived from these intermediates are also discussed in detail. The review ends with a discussion of the apparent 3-D photophysical properties of third-generation functionalized phenylsilsesquioxanes.