Metalation of Tris(trimethylsilyl)‐ and Tris(dimethylphenylsilyl)methane with Methylsodium: The First Dialkylsodate

A two‐coordinate sodium atom is present in the linear diorganosodate anion in 1, obtained by metalation of the relevant trisilylmethane with sodium in the presence of tmen (N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine); the corresponding reaction with tris(dimethylphenylsilyl)methane in the absence of the chelating ligand yields 2, which has a distorted tetrahedral environment about the sodium atom and an unprecedented chain structure. equation image