Trisilane

Properties

Colorless liquid; density 0.743 g/mL at 0°C; freezes at –117.4°C; boils at 52.9°C; vapor density 4.15 g/L at atmospheric pressure; decomposes in water; decomposes in carbon tetrachloride.

Description

Silicon forms a series of hydrides known as silanes, formula SinH2n+2, where n is the number of silicon atoms in the molecule. This general formula for the silicon hydrides is similar to the CnH2n+2 for the alkane class of hydrocarbons.

Chemical Properties

colorless liquid; enthalpy of vaporization 28.38 kJ/mol; vapor pressure at (0°C) 95mm Hg; critical temp 189°C; reacts vigorously with CCl4 and CHCl3 [CIC73] [CRC10] [MER06]

Hazard

Explodes on contact with air, reacts violently with carbon tetrachloride and chloroform.