Hydrosilylation of Alkynes and Their Derivatives

Regioselective Anti-Silyllithiation of Propargylic Alcohols

Among the known hydrosilylation or carbosilylation conditions of alkynes, anti-addition of the two units across the triple bond is considered rare compared to the syn counterpart. For anti-silylative vicinal difunctionalizations, transition-metal catalysts, such as ruthenium or palladium complexes, are generally required. Accordingly, silyl alkali metals have not been employed for those anti-addition transformations. Here we demonstrate that silyllithiums can add across the triple bond of a series of propargylic alkoxides regioselectively in an anti-fashion. Upon treatment with a variety of electrophiles, the trisubstituted alkenyl lithium intermediates were transformed into highly functionalized β-silyl allylic alcohols with high regiocontrol, eventually providing tri- or tetrasubstituted alkenylsilanes stereoselectively. A classic trick for anti-addition with propargylic alkoxides has transformed anti-silylative functionalizations into a robust and reliable strategy.

Advances in the E → Z Isomerization of Alkenes Using Small Molecule Photocatalysts

Geometrical E → Z alkene isomerization is intimately entwined in the historical fabric of organic photochemistry and is enjoying a renaissance (Roth et al. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Engl. 1989 28, 1193-1207). This is a consequence of the fundamental stereochemical importance of Z-alkenes, juxtaposed with frustrations in thermal reactivity that are rooted in microscopic reversibility. Accessing excited state reactivity paradigms allow this latter obstacle to be circumnavigated by exploiting subtle differences in the photophysical behavior of the substrate and product chromophores: this provides a molecular basis for directionality. While direct irradiation is operationally simple, photosensitization via selective energy transfer enables augmentation of the alkene repertoire to include substrates that are not directly excited by photons. Through sustained innovation, an impressive portfolio of tailored small molecule catalysts with a range of triplet energies are now widely available to facilitate contra-thermodynamic and thermo-neutral isomerization reactions to generate Z-alkene fragments. This review is intended to serve as a practical guide covering the geometric isomerization of alkenes enabled by energy transfer catalysis from 2000 to 2020, and as a logical sequel to the excellent treatment by Dugave and Demange (Chem. Rev. 2003 103, 2475-2532). The mechanistic foundations underpinning isomerization selectivity are discussed together with induction models and rationales to explain the counterintuitive directionality of these processes in which very small energy differences distinguish substrate from product. Implications for subsequent stereospecific transformations, application in total synthesis, regioselective polyene isomerization, and spatiotemporal control of pre-existing alkene configuration in a broader sense are discussed.

Regioselective Synthesis of Multifunctional Allylic Amines; Access to Ambiphilic Aziridine Scaffolds

We describe, for the first time, a highly regioselective hydrosilylation of propargylic amines. The reaction utilizes a PtCl₂/XantPhos catalyst system to deliver hydrosilanes across the alkyne to afford multifunctional allylic amines in high yields. The reaction is tolerant to a wide variety of functional groups and provides high value intermediates with two distinct functional handles. The synthetic applicability of the reaction has been shown through the synthesis of diverse ambiphilic aziridines.

A Hydrosilylation Approach to Silicon-Bridged Functional Dipyrromethanes: Introducing Silicon to A New Arena

Two silylene-spaced ((E)-vinylsilyl)anthracene-dipyrromethane dyads have been designed and synthesized by RhCl(PPh₃ )₃ -catalyzed hydrosilylation reactions of 5-methyl-5'-(ethynylaryl)dipyrromethanes with (9-Anthryl)-dimethylsilane. The complexation studies of dyads toward different anions have also been performed, which reveal that dyads exhibit a highly selective response towards fluoride anion attributable to both hydrogen-bonding and pentacoordination phenomena. This dual-mode fluoride recognition event is unprecedented and may pave the way for future developments in the areas of porphyrinoids, organosilicon, polymer, and supramolecular chemistry.

Copper(II)-catalyzed silylation of activated alkynes in water: diastereodivergent access to E- or Z-β-silyl-α,β-unsaturated carbonyl and carboxyl compounds

Copper(II)-catalyzed silylation of substituted alkynylcarbonyl compounds was investigated. Through the activation of Me2 PhSiBpin in water at room temperature and open atmosphere, vinylsilanes conjugated to carbonyl groups are synthesized in high yield. A surprising diastereodivergent access to olefin geometry was discovered using a silyl conjugate addition strategy: aldehydes and ketones were Z selective while esters and amides were exclusively transformed into the E products.