Cobalt-Catalyzed Defluorosilylation of Aryl Fluorides via Grignard Reagent Formation

Transition-metal-catalyzed transformations of the carbon-fluorine bond not only tackle an interesting problem of challenging bond activation but also offer new synthetic strategies where the relatively inert C-F bond is converted to versatile functional groups. Herein we report a practical cobalt-catalyzed silylation of aryl fluorides that uses a cheap electrophilic silicon source with magnesium. This method is compatible with various silicon sources and can be operated under aerobic conditions. Mechanistic studies support the in situ formation of a Grignard reagent, which is captured by the electrophilic silicon source.