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Updated: Jul 17, 2025

Imine Metathesis by Silica-Supported Catalysts Using the Methodology of Surface Organometallic Chemistry
Published on: October 18, 2019
Metal-Free Catalytic Hydrogenolysis of Chlorosilanes into Hydrosilanes with "Inverse" Frustrated Lewis Pairs
Gabriel Durin1, Jean-Claude Berthet1, Pierre Thuéry1
1Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, NIMBE, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
Abstract:
The challenging metal-free catalytic hydrogenolysis of silyl chlorides to hydrosilanes is unlocked by using an inverse frustrated Lewis pair (FLP), combining a mild Lewis acid (Cy2 BCl) and a strong phosphazene base (BTPP) in mild conditions (10 bar of H2 , r. t.). In the presence of a stoichiometric amount of the base, the hydrosilanes R3 SiH (R=Me, Et, Ph) are generated in moderate to high yields (up to 95 %) from their chlorinated counterparts. A selective formation of the valuable difunctional monohydride Me2 SiHCl is also obtained from Me2 SiCl2 . A mechanism is proposed based on stoichiometric experiments and DFT calculations; it highlights the critical role of borohydride species generated by the heterolytic splitting of H2 .
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