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Elementary reaction mechanisms constitute a fundamental infrastructure for chemical processes as a whole. However, while these mechanisms are well understood for second-period elements, involving those of the third period and beyond can introduce unorthodox reactivity. Combining crossed molecular beam experiments with electronic structure calculations and molecular dynamics simulations, we provide compelling evidence on an exotic insertion of an unsaturated sigma doublet radical into a silicon-hydrogen bond as observed in the barrierless gas-phase reaction of the D1-ethynyl radical (C₂D) with silane (SiH₄). This pathway, which leads to the D1-silylacetylene (SiH₃CCD) product via atomic hydrogen loss, challenges the prerequisite and fundamental concept that two reactive electrons and an empty orbital are required for the open shell, unsaturated radical reactant to insert into a single bond. 

In this article, we combine state-of-art electronic structure calculations and crossed beam experiments to expose the reaction dynamics of¹²⁰Sn(³P_j) +¹⁶O₂(X³Σ−g) →¹²⁰Sn¹⁶O(X¹Σ⁺) +¹⁶O(³P) reaction that involve extensive ISC. 

The reaction of the D1-silylidyne radical (SiD; X 2 Π) with phosphine (PH 3 ; X 1 A 1 ) was conducted in a crossed molecular beams machine under single collision conditions. Merging of the experimental results with ab initio electronic structure and statistical Rice–Ramsperger–Kassel–Marcus (RRKM) calculations indicates that the reaction is initiated by the barrierless formation of a van der Waals complex (i0) as well as intermediate (i1) formed via the barrierless addition of the SiD radical with its silicon atom to the non-bonding electron pair of phosphorus of the phosphine. Hydrogen shifts from the phosphorous atom to the adjacent silicon atom yield intermediates i2a, i2b, i3; unimolecular decomposition of these intermediates leads eventually to the formation of trans / cis -phosphinidenesilyl (HSiPH, p2/p4) and phosphinosilylidyne (SiPH 2 , p3) via hydrogen deuteride (HD) loss (experiment: 80 ± 11%, RRKM: 68.7%) and d - trans / cis -phosphinidenesilyl (DSiPH, p2′/p4′) plus molecular hydrogen (H 2 ) (experiment: 20 ± 7%, RRKM: 31.3%) through indirect scattering dynamics via tight exit transition states. Overall, the study reveals branching ratios of p2/p4/p2′/p4′ ( trans / cis HSiPH/DSiPH) to p3 (SiPH 2 ) of close to 4 : 1. The present study sheds light on the complex reaction dynamics of the silicon and phosphorous systems involving multiple atomic hydrogen migrations and tight exit transition states, thus opening up a versatile path to access the previously elusive phosphinidenesilyl and phosphinosilylidyne doublet radicals, which represent potential targets of future astronomical searches toward cold molecular clouds (TMC-1), star forming regions (Sgr(B2)), and circumstellar envelopes of carbon rich stars (IRC + 10216). 

Sulfur- and silicon-containing molecules are omnipresent in interstellar and circumstellar environments, but their elementary formation mechanisms have been obscure. These routes are of vital significance in starting a chain of chemical reactions ultimately forming (organo) sulfur molecules—among them precursors to sulfur-bearing amino acids and grains. Here, we expose via laboratory experiments, computations, and astrochemical modeling that the silicon-sulfur chemistry can be initiated through the gas-phase reaction of atomic silicon with hydrogen sulfide leading to silicon monosulfide (SiS) via nonadiabatic reaction dynamics. The facile pathway to the simplest silicon and sulfur diatomic provides compelling evidence for the origin of silicon monosulfide in star-forming regions and aids our understanding of the nonadiabatic reaction dynamics, which control the outcome of the gas-phase formation in deep space, thus expanding our view about the life cycle of sulfur in the galaxy.