Dehydrogenative Coupling of Hydrosilanes and Alcohols by Alkali Metal Catalysts for Facile Synthesis of Silyl Ethers

Cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) of hydrosilanes with hydroxyl groups, using alkali metal hexamethyldisilazide as a single component catalyst for the formation of Si-O bonds under mild condition, is reported. The potassium salt [KN(SiMe3)2] is highly efficient and chemo selective for a wide range of functionalized alcohols (99% conversion) under solvent-free conditions. The CDC reaction of alcohols with silanes exhibits first-order kinetics with respect to both catalyst and the substrate concentrations. The most plausible mechanism for this reaction suggests that the initial step most likely involves the formation of an alkoxide followed by metal hydride as active species