Alkaline-Earth-Catalysed Cross-Dehydrocoupling of Amines and Hydrosilanes: Reactivity Trends, Scope and Mechanism

Alkaline-earth (Ae=Ca, Sr, Ba) complexes are shown to catalyse the chemoselective cross-dehydrocoupling (CDC) of amines and hydrosilanes. Key trends were delineated in the benchmark couplings of Ph3 SiH with pyrrolidine or tBuNH2 . Ae{E(SiMe3)2}2 ⋅(THF)x (E=N, CH; x=2-3) are more efficient than {N^N}Ae{E(SiMe3)2}⋅(THF)n (E=N, CH; n=1-2) complexes (where {N^N}(-) ={ArN(o-C6H4)C(H)=NAr}(-) with Ar=2,6-iPr2 -C6H3) bearing an iminoanilide ligand, and alkyl precatalysts are better than amido analogues. Turnover frequencies (TOFs) increase in the order Ca30 products) includes diamines and di(hydrosilane)s. Kinetic analysis of the Ba-promoted CDC of pyrrolidine and Ph3SiH shows that 1) the kinetic law is rate=k[Ba](1) [amine](0) [hydrosilane](1), 2) electron-withdrawing p-substituents on the arylhydrosilane improve the reaction rate and 3) a maximal kinetic isotopic effect (kSiH/kSiD =4.7) is seen for Ph3SiX (X=H, D). DFT calculations identified the prevailing mechanism; instead of an inaccessible σ-bond-breaking metathesis pathway, the CDC appears to follow a stepwise reaction path with N-Si bond-forming nucleophilic attack of the catalytically competent Ba pyrrolide onto the incoming silane, followed by rate limiting hydrogen-atom transfer to barium. The participation of a Ba silyl species is prevented energetically. The reactivity trend Ca