Carbosilanes

Carbosilanes are organosilicon compounds where the structures feature alternating silicon and carbon atoms, i.e., −Si−C−Si−C− linkages.

They represent molecular analogues of silicon carbide.

The compounds exploit the tendency of both carbon and silicon to form tetrahedral structures.

[1] The compounds originally were obtained as products of the pyrolysis of simple organosilicon precursors such as the methylsilanes.

More efficient precursors contain premade −Si−C−Si−C− subunits.