UV-Photoelectron Spectroscopy of Organosilicon Compounds
Résumé
This chapter describes key work performed in the last 15 years, in which the use of the ultraviolet-photoelectron spectroscopy (UV-PES) has made significant progress in the understanding of various phenomena, such as hyperconjugation or other interactions due to high-energy σ bonds (Si–C, Ge–C, Si–Si, etc.), neutral cyclic cross hyperconjugation, influence of substituents on the stability of Si=C bond, or structure of the low-valent group 14 element analogues of carbenes and radicals. The knowledge of the electronic structure of compounds of interest allows not only comprehension and explanation of their reactivity or physical chemistry properties but provides an essential tool for the prediction and design of new compounds designed for specific properties. UV-PES is certainly a key tool to consider in the search for information on the electronic structure of molecules. Short descriptions of the UV-photoelectron spectrometer for gas phase characterization and theoretical methods for the evaluation of ionization energies are also given.