A hydrogen-bridged bis(silylene) complex as a platform for small molecule activation via adjacent metal-ligand cooperation.

Effective activation of small molecules (alcohol, phenol, ketones, amine, etc.) by a hydrogen-bridged bis(silylene) complex, which has two adjacent Lewis acidic centers and a hydridic bridging hydrogen with weak Si⋯H bonds, is described, along with product characterization by NMR and X-ray diffraction studies.