Process of synthesizing diisopropylamino-disilanes

1. A process of synthesizing diisopropylamino-disilane, which is of formula (I): [(CH 3 ) 2 CH] 2 NSiH 2 SiH 3 (I), the process comprising:

contacting in a solvent, a metal aluminum hydride with diisopropylamino-pentachlorodisilane, to give diisopropylamino-disilane, wherein the metal of the metal aluminum hydride is an element of Group I or Group II of the Periodic Table of the Elements; and

separating the diisopropylamino-disilane from the solvent and an optional second solvent to give a purified form of the diisopropylamino-disilane, wherein the solvent or the optional second solvent has a boiling point of at least 90° C. and at least 10° C. higher than the boiling point of diisopropylamino-disilane, and wherein the optional second solvent is combined with the solvent before, after, or during the contacting and prior to the separating.

2. The process of claim 1 comprising one of the following limitations e) or f):

e) wherein the solvent or the optional second solvent is an alkylene glycol dialkyl ether and the alkylene glycol dialkyl ether is a tetraethylene glycol di(C 1 -C 4 )alkyl ether, propylene glycol di(C 4 -C 8 )alkyl ether, ethylene glycol di(C 4 or C 8 )alkyl ether, or a combination of any two or more thereof

f) wherein the solvent is characterizable by a boiling point that is at least 10° C. less than the boiling point of the diisopropylamino-disilane; the second solvent is present and is characterizable by a boiling point that is at least 10° C. higher than the boiling point of the diisopropylamino-disilane; the solvent is first separated from the diisopropylamino-disilane and the second solvent and then the diisopropylamino-disilane is separated from the second solvent to give a purified form of the diisopropylamino-disilane in at least 30% yield and purity of at least 70 area % (GC).

3. A process of synthesizing diisopropylamino-disilane, which is of formula (I):

[(CH 3 ) 2 CH] 2 NSiH 2 SiH 3   (I), the process comprising parts A and B:

Part A:

contacting, in a hydrocarbon vehicle, hexachlorodisilane (SiCl 3 SiCl 3 ) with, relative to the hexachlorodisilane, from 0.50 to 1.19 molar equivalents of a metal diisopropylamide, [(i-Pr) 2 N] m M A , wherein subscript m is 1 or 2, wherein when m is 1, M A is an element of Group I of the Periodic Table of the Elements and when m is 2, M A is an element of Group II of the Periodic Table of the Elements, or with from 1.0 to 2.39 molar equivalents of diisopropylamine, or with a mixture of from 0.50 to 1.19 molar equivalents of diisopropylamine ((i-Pr) 2 NH) and from 0.50 to 1.19 molar equivalents of triethylamine (Et 3 N), to give a higher yield of diisopropylamino-pentachlorodisilane compared to the yield, if any, of a compound of formula (B): [(CH 3 ) 2 CH] 2 NSiCl 2 SiCl 2 N[CH(CH 3 ) 2 ] 2 (B), wherein i-Pr is isopropyl and Et is ethyl; and

Part B:

Contacting, in an alkylene glycol dialkyl ether characterizable by a boiling point, lithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH 4 ) with the diisopropylamino-pentachlorodisilane from Part A to give diisopropylamino-disilane characterizable by a boiling point, wherein the boiling point of the alkylene glycol dialkyl ether is at least 30 degrees Celsius higher than the boiling point of diisopropylamino-disilane; and

Separating the diisopropylamino-disilane from the alkylene glycol dialkyl ether to give a purified form of the diisopropylamino-disilane in at least 30% yield for Part B and a purity greater than or equal to 70 area % (GC).

4. The process of claim 1 further comprising combining i) a metal hydride or ii) a metal amide salt with the diisopropylaminodisilane either before or after the separating.

5. The process of claim 4 , wherein the metal hydride is lithium tris-(tert-butoxy)-aluminum hydride, lithium triethylborohydride, or sodium triethylborohydride and the metal amide is lithium diisopropylamide.

6. A process of synthesizing diisopropylamino-disilane according to claim 1 , wherein the contacting is under vacuum and at a temperature to vaporize the diisopropylamino-disilane after it is formed; and

separating the diisopropylamino-disilane after it is formed from unreacted diisopropylamino-pentachlorodisilane and the metal aluminum hydride by distillation, wherein the distillation is conducted concurrently with the formation of the diisopropylamino-disilane.

7. The process of claim 6 , wherein the contacting is at a temperature of at least 90° C.