A BEt₃‑Base Catalyst for Amide Reduction with Silane

Reported herein is the development of a simple but practical catalytic system for the selective reduction of amides with hydrosilane or hydrosiloxane. Low-cost and readily available triethylborane (1.0 M in THF), in combination with a catalytic amount of an alkali metal base, was found to catalyze the reduction of all three amide classes (tertiary, secondary, and primary amides) to form amines under mild conditions. In addition, the selective transformation of secondary amides to aldimines and primary amides to nitriles can also be achieved by using a proper combination of BEt3 and base. The scope of these BEt3-base-catalyzed amide hydrosilylation reactions has been explored in depth. Preliminary results of mechanistic studies suggest a modified Piers’ silane Si–H···B activation mode wherein the hydride abstraction by BEt3 is promoted by the coordination of an alkoxide or hydroxide anion to the Si center