Synthesis of Heteroatom-Containing Compounds. Organomercury Compounds in Organic Synthesis. Berlin: Springer Berlin Heidelberg; 1985. pp. 187-239. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-70004-0_4]

Unusual Rearrangement-Remercuration Reactions of Allylic Silanols

We present the first examples of rearrangement reactions of allylic silanol substrates into linear ketone and 5-membered cyclic silanediol organomercurial products. Both reactions are mediated by Hg(OTf)₂ but differ in the use of base, solvent, and temperature. The substrate scope of both transformations was explored, and the product organomercurials were shown to be valuable synthons. Mechanistic studies suggest that both products are the result of a series of transformations, cascading in one pot. DFT analysis provides a basis for understanding the rearrangement of a 6-endo intermediate into the 5-exo cyclic silanediol product.

Tethered Silanoxymercuration of Allylic Alcohols

We present the first examples of tethered olefin functionalization reactions using a silanol auxiliary. A range of allylic alcohols are readily condensed with di-tert-butylsilyl bis(trifluoromethanesulfonate) to form allylic silanols. When treated with Hg(OTf)₂ and NaHCO₃, these silanols easily transform into cyclic silanediol organomercurial compounds. In most cases, the reactions are exquisitely diastereoselective. The scale can be increased more than 10-fold without a loss of yield and selectivity. We demonstrate that the silanediols are versatile synthons for a variety of further reactions.