Cobalt-catalyzed synthesis of silyl ethers via cross-dehydrogenative coupling between alcohols and hydrosilanes

Abstract

Various commercially available primary and secondary hydrosilanes were exploited for versatile direct dehydrocoupling with alcohols and phenols through cobalt catalysis. The protocol enables efficient Si–O bond formation with a host of O–nucleophiles and silanes (27 examples, 67–91% yield), with precatalyst loadings of 0.5–2 mol%. Beyond enabling a practical and greener approach to silyl ethers, this type of pincer-supported cobalt catalysis provides a blueprint for the development of a broad range of efficient reactions leading to synthetically relevant organometalloids. Moreover, the use of silanes as substrates and precatalyst activators permits the use of inexpensive and easily accessible Earth-abundant metal complexes and avoids the presence of additional activators.