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Updated: May 16, 2026

Versatile CO2 Transformations into Complex Products: A One-pot Two-step Strategy
Published on: November 9, 2019
Electrophilic Activation of CO2-Derived Bis(silyl)acetal for Asymmetric Bridging Reactions
Zhiyu Cao1, Wenhao Xu1, Xiaoping Wang1
1Key Laboratory of Organic Synthesis of Jiangsu Province, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P.R. China.
Abstract:
The current study reports a strategy for the electrophilic activation of CO2-derived bis(silyl)acetal. Under mild reaction conditions, it was utilized as a C1 synthon for the synthesis of symmetric and asymmetric diarylmethanes via catalysis by N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) with silane as a reductant, converting bis(silyl)acetals, a traditional reaction acceptor, into an electrophile under acidic conditions. The proposed strategy drives a Friedel-Crafts electrophilic substitution reaction, enabling the efficient synthesis of asymmetric diarylmethane products.
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