“Synergistic Effects of Two Si−H Groups and a Metal Center” in Transition Metal-Catalyzed Hydrosilylation of Unsaturated Molecules: A Mechanistic Study of the RhCl(PPh3)3-Catalyzed Hydrosilylation of Ketones with 1,2-Bis(dimethylsilyl)benzene

Disilametallacyclic chemistry for efficient catalysis

Disilametallacyclic species of late transition metals behave as key intermediates for efficient catalytic reactions proceeding through new mechanisms.

Mechanistic and Kinetic Studies of the Direct Alkylation of Benzylic Amines: A Formal C(sp3)-H Activation Proceeds Actually via a C(sp2)-H Activation Pathway

Mechanistic investigations of a Rh(I)-catalyzed direct C-H alkylation of benzylic amines with alkenes, formally an C(sp3)-H activation, reveal this reaction to proceed via imine intermediates and, hence, via C(sp2)-H activation. The reaction shows a primary kinetic isotope effect of 4.3 at the benzylic C-H position together with a reversible H-D exchange at the same position, which indicates that there are at least two distinct steps in which the corresponding C-H bonds are broken. The imine intermediates are shown to be converted to the final product under the reaction conditions, and a time course analysis of the alkylated imine intermediate shows that it is formed before the final amine product in the course of the reaction.

Platinum-catalyzed reduction of amides with hydrosilanes bearing dual Si–H groups: a theoretical study of the reaction mechanism

A platinum-catalyzed hydrosilane reduction of amides proceeds via the classical Chalk–Harrod mechanism with dual Si–H groups.