Issue 47, 2021

Direct synthesis and applications of solid silylzinc reagents

Abstract

The increased synthetic utility of organosilanes has motivated researchers to develop milder and more practical synthetic methods. Silylzinc reagents, which are typically the most functional group tolerant, are notoriously difficult to synthesize because they are obtained by a pyrophoric reaction of silyllithium, particularly Me3SiLi which is itself prepared by the reaction of MeLi and disilane. Furthermore, the dissolved LiCl in silylzinc may have a detrimental effect. A synthetic method that can avoid silyllithium and involves a direct synthesis of silylzinc reagents from silyl halides is arguably the simplest and most economical strategy. We describe, for the first time, the direct synthesis of PhMe2SiZnI and Me3SiZnI reagents by employing a coordinating TMEDA ligand, as well as single crystal XRD structures. Importantly, they can be obtained as solids and stored for longer periods at 4 °C. We also demonstrate their significance in cross-coupling of various free alkyl/aryl/alkenyl carboxylic acids with broader functional group tolerance and API derivatives. The general applicability and efficiency of solid Me3SiZnI are shown in a wide variety of reactions including alkylation, arylation, allylation, 1,4-addition, acylation and more.

Graphical abstract: Direct synthesis and applications of solid silylzinc reagents

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
01 Nov. 2021
Accepted
19 Nov. 2021
First published
30 Nov. 2021
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2021,12, 15719-15726

Direct synthesis and applications of solid silylzinc reagents

R. Chandrasekaran, F. T. Pulikkottil, K. S. Elama and R. Rasappan, Chem. Sci., 2021, 12, 15719 DOI: 10.1039/D1SC06038D

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