Selective synthesis of halosilanes from hydrosilanes and utilization for organic synthesis

Borohydride catalyzed redistribution reaction of hydrosilane and chlorosilane: a potential system for facile preparation of hydrochlorosilanes

Various borohydrides were found to catalyze the redistribution reaction of hydrosilane and chlorosilane in different solvents to produce hydrochlorosilanes efficiently and facilely. The redistribution reaction was affected by solvent and catalyst. The substrate scope was investigated in HMPA with LiBH₄ as catalyst. A possible mechanism was proposed to explain the redistribution process.

A borohydride catalyzed Si–H/Si–Cl redistribution system was established to prepare hydrochlorosilanes facilely and efficiently.

Diastereoselective synthesis of trisubstituted olefins using a silicon-tether ring-closing metathesis strategy

The diastereoselective synthesis of trisubstituted olefins with concomitant C-C bond formation is still a difficult challenge, and olefin metathesis reactions for the formation of such alkenes are usually not high yielding or/and diastereoselective. Herein we report an efficient and diastereoselective synthesis of trisubstituted olefins flanked by an allylic alcohol, by a silicon-tether ring-closing metathesis strategy. Both E- and Z-trisubstituted alkenes were synthesised, depending on the method employed to cleave the silicon tether. Furthermore, this methodology features a novel Peterson olefination for the synthesis of allyldimethylsilanes. These versatile intermediates were also converted into the corresponding allylchlorodimethylsilanes, which are not easily accessible in high yields by other methods.

Synthesis of Unsaturated Silyl Heterocycles via an Intramolecular Silyl-Heck Reaction

We report the synthesis of unsaturated silacycles via an intramolecular silyl-Heck reaction. Using palladium catalysis, silicon electrophiles tethered to alkenes cyclize to form 5- and 6-membered silicon heterocycles. The effects of alkene substitution and tether length on the efficiency and regioselectivity of the cyclizations are described. Finally, through the use of an intramolecular tether, the first examples of disubstituted alkenes in silyl-Heck reactions are reported.

Making Use of the Direct Process Residue: Synthesis of Bifunctional Monosilanes

The industrial production of monosilanes Me_n SiCl_4-n (n=1-3) through the Müller-Rochow Direct Process generates disilanes Me_n Si₂ Cl_6-n (n=2-6) as unwanted byproducts ("Direct Process Residue", DPR) by the thousands of tons annually, large quantities of which are usually disposed of by incineration. Herein we report a surprisingly facile and highly effective protocol for conversion of the DPR: hydrogenation with complex metal hydrides followed by Si-Si bond cleavage with HCl/ether solutions gives (mostly bifunctional) monosilanes in excellent yields. Competing side reactions are efficiently suppressed by the appropriate choice of reaction conditions.

Sequence-Controlled Catalytic One-Pot Synthesis of Siloxane Oligomers

Silicones are highly valuable poly- and oligomeric materials with a broad range of applications due to their outstanding physicochemical properties. The core framework of silicone materials consists of siloxane (Si-O-Si) bonds, and thus, the development of efficient siloxane-bond-forming reactions has attracted much attention. However, these reactions, especially "catalytic" siloxane-bond-forming reactions that enable the selective formation of unsymmetrical siloxane bonds, remain relatively underdeveloped. On the other hand, controlled iteration has become a powerful tool for the sequence-controlled synthesis of poly- and oligomeric compounds. Recently, control over the siloxane sequence has been achieved by the one-pot iteration of a B(C₆ F₅ )₃ -catalyzed dehydrocarbonative cross-coupling of alkoxysilanes with hydrosilanes and a B(C₆ F₅ )₃ -catalyzed hydrosilylation of carbonyl compounds. Thus, it is now possible to generate linear, branched, and cyclic sequence-specific oligosiloxanes in a highly selective manner under chloride-free conditions.

Stepwise Introduction of Different Substituents to α-Chloro-ω-hydrooligosilanes: Convenient Synthesis of Unsymmetrically Substituted Oligosilanes

A series of unsymmetrically substituted oligosilanes were synthesized via stepwise introduction of different substituents to α-chloro-ω-hydrooligosilanes. The reactions of α-chloro-ω-hydrooligosilanes with organolithium or Grignard reagents gave hydrooligosilanes having various alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and aryl groups. Thus-obtained hydrooligosilanes were converted into alkoxyoligosilanes by ruthenium-catalyzed dehydrogenative alkoxylation with alcohols.

B(C6 F5 )3 -Catalyzed Selective Chlorination of Hydrosilanes

The chlorination of Si-H bonds often requires stoichiometric amounts of metal salts in conjunction with hazardous reagents, such as tin chlorides, Cl₂ , and CCl₄ . The catalytic chlorination of silanes often involves the use of expensive transition-metal catalysts. By a new simple, selective, and highly efficient catalytic metal-free method for the chlorination of Si-H bonds, mono-, di-, and trihydrosilanes were selectively chlorinated in the presence of a catalytic amount of B(C₆ F₅ )₃ or Et₂ O⋅B(C₆ F₅ )₃ and HCl with the release of H₂ as a by-product. The hydrides in di- and trihydrosilanes could be selectively chlorinated by HCl in a stepwise manner when Et₂ O⋅B(C₆ F₅ )₃ was used as the catalyst. A mechanism is proposed for these catalytic chlorination reactions on the basis of competition experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Hexachloroethane: a highly efficient reagent for the synthesis of chlorosilanes from hydrosilanes

A new and efficient chlorination protocol is presented for the preparation of chlorosilanes from hydrosilanes. A variety of chlorinating agents in combination with palladium(II) chloride as the catalyst are examined. Among them, hexachloroethane is found to be the best choice, furnishing the desired product in good to quantitative yields under mild conditions. Various hydrosilanes are used as starting materials to explore the scope of this reaction.

The use of silicon-based tethers for the Pauson-Khand reaction

A range of silicon-based tethers and promoters have been investigated for use in the development of a silyl-tethered Pauson-Khand reaction.

Hydrolysis of Fluorosilanes: A Theoretical Study

Hydrolysis and condensation of simple trifluorosilanes, HSiF3 and MeSiF3, was studied by quantum mechanical methods. Hydrolysis of fluorosilanes is highly endothermic. The Gibbs free energy of the first reaction step in the gas phase is 31.4 kJ/mol, which corresponds to an equilibrium constant of 10(-6). Hydrolysis of the subsequent fluorine atoms in trifluorosilanes is thermodynamically more unfavorable than the first step of substitution. No significant difference in thermodynamics of hydrolysis was found between HSiF3 and MeSiF3. The activation energy for hydrolysis by a water dimer is significantly lower than that for hydrolysis by a water monomer. The former reaction is also less unfavorable thermodynamically, due to a high binding energy of the HF-H2O complex formed as a product of hydrolysis. Self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) calculations show that hydrolysis of trifluorosilanes in aqueous medium has lower activation energy than in the gas phase. It is also thermodynamically less unfavorable, due to better solvation of the products. Homofunctional condensation of HSiF2OH is thermodynamically favored. The equilibrium mixture for hydrolysis/condensation of RSiF3 in water is predicted to contain ca. 2.3% disiloxane (HF2Si)2O, if 100-fold excess of water relative to silane is assumed. Further hydrolysis of (HF2Si)2O is negligible. The thermodynamics of fluorosilane hydrolysis contrasts with that of chlorosilanes, where both hydrolysis and condensation are strongly favorable. Moreover, in the case of trichlorosilanes each subsequent hydrolysis step is more facile, leading to the product of full hydrolysis, RSi(OH)3.