UV irradiation of poly[(tetraethyldisilanylene)(3,4-diethynylenesilole)] in the presence ofan excess of Fe(CO)
5 led to the formation of Fe(CO)
3-coordinated silole units in the polymerbackbone. The ratio of the Fe(CO)
3-coordinated and noncoordinated units in the resultingpolymer was determined to be 2:1 by
1H NMR spectrometry. Similar treatment of poly[(tetramethyldisilanylene)(3,4-diethynylenesilole)] also afforded the corresponding Fe(CO)
3-coordinated polymer. The polymers with Fe(CO)
3-coordinated silole units exhibit slightlyred-shifted UV absorption bands, relative to the parent noncoordinated polymers. Whendoped with FeCl
3 vapor, the Fe(CO)
3-coordinated polymers became semiconducting withconductivities on the order of 10
-5 S/cm, much higher than the conductivities of the parentpolymers doped with FeCl
3, which were determined to be less than 10
-8 S/cm. Crystalstructures of two model compounds having Fe(CO)
3-coordinated or noncoordinated 3,4-diethynylenesilole units were determined by X-ray crystallography, which suggest enhanced
![](/images/gifchars/pi.gif)
-conjugation in the Fe(CO)
3-coordinated 3,4-diethynylenesilole ring as compared with thenoncoordinated one.