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Updated: Sep 30, 2026

Imine Metathesis by Silica-Supported Catalysts Using the Methodology of Surface Organometallic Chemistry
Published on: October 18, 2019
Diversity-oriented functionalization of silanes via ruthenium phthalocyanine-catalyzed carbene Si-H insertion
Cenna Toullec1, Andrei P Kroitor1,2, Liudmila I Demina2
1Institut de Recherches sur la Catalyse et l'Environnement de Lyon IRCELYON, UMR 5256, CNRS - Université Lyon 1, 2 av. A. Einstein, 69626 Villeurbanne, France. alexander.sorokin@ircelyon.univ-lyon1.fr.
Abstract:
We report the first efficient functionalization of silanes via carbene Si-H insertion catalyzed by the ruthenium(II) phthalocyanine complex. A broad range of primary, secondary, and tertiary silanes bearing aromatic, aliphatic, and alkylaromatic substituents undergo smooth insertion with various diazo compounds as carbene precursors, affording single insertion products in good to excellent yields (61-100%) with turnover numbers up to 15 400. The method enables selective stepwise introduction of two different carbene fragments into silanes and disilanes, providing access to non-symmetrical derivatives, a transformation not previously reported. Mechanistic studies, including kinetic isotope effects and DFT calculations, reveal an asynchronous concerted mechanism with rate-limiting Si-H bond cleavage. This work expands the synthetic utility of phthalocyanine catalysts for preparing elaborated organosilanes.
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