Samarium-mediated redistribution of silanes and formation of trinuclear samarium–silicon clusters

The samarium complex Cp*2SmCH(SiMe3)2(Cp*= C5Me5), unlike the related alkyls Cp*2LnCH(SiMe3)3(Ln = Y, Nd), mediates the redistribution of hydrosilanes while being converted to trisamarium clusters, including Cp*6Sm3(µ-SiH3)(µ3-η1,η1,η2-SiH2-SiH2).