Hydrolysis of (Me3SiCH2)PhSnCl2. Isomerisation of the dimeric tetraorganodistannoxane [(Me3SiCH2)Ph(Cl)SnOSn(Cl)-Ph(CH2SiMe3)]2

The hydrolysis of (Me₃SiCH₂)PhSnCl₂(<b> 1</b>) was studied under two different reaction conditions (<i>i</i>) by using an excess of aqueous NaOH in toluene at reflux temperature and (<i>ii</i>) by using small amounts of NEt₃ and water in CH₂Cl₂ at room temperature. For (<i>i</i>) the products  (Me₃SiCH₂)Ph₂SnOSnPh₂(CH₂SiMe₃)( <b>2</b>) and [(Me₃SiCH₂Sn)₁₂O₁₄(OH)₆](OH)₂(<b> 3</b>) were isolated indicating that a phenyl group migration took place. For (<i>ii</i>) the dimeric tetraorganodistannoxane [(Me₃SiCH₂)Ph(Cl)SnOSn(Cl)Ph(CH₂SiMe₃)]₂( <b>4</b>) was obtained. In solution, <b>4</b> exists as an equilibrium mixture of all five possible isomers <b>4a–4e</b>; in the solid state two of these isomers <b>4d</b> and <b>4e</b> co-crystallized in the same crystal modification. The observation of interconvertible isomers of <b>4</b> was attributed to the kinetic lability of the ladder-like Sn4O2Cl4 structural motif. Compounds<b> 1</b> and <b>4</b> were investigated by X-ray crystallography.<br />