Binary silicon-hydrogen compounds

Chemical structure of disilane, which is structurally similar to ethane.

Silanes are saturated chemical compounds with the empirical formula Si_xH_y. They are hydrosilanes, a class of compounds that includes compounds with Si−H and other Si−X bonds. All contain tetrahedral silicon and terminal hydrides. They only have Si−H and Si−Si single bonds. The bond lengths are 146.0 pm for a Si−H bond and 233 pm for a Si−Si bond. The structures of the silanes are analogues of the alkanes, starting with silane, SiH₄, the analogue of methane, continuing with disilane Si₂H₆, the analogue of ethane, etc. They are mainly of theoretical or academic interest.^[1]

^ Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-08-037941-8.

[G&E-1] Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-08-037941-8.

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