Catalytic Hydrosilylation of Carbonyls via Re(CO)₅Cl Photolysis

Abstract

The hydrosilylation reaction between silanes and various carbonyl substrates such as aldehyde, ketone, ester, and carbonate has been catalyzed by Re(CO)5Cl UV photolysis. Kinetic studies have shown that the reaction is favored for the least sterically hindered silanes with aldehydes followed by aliphatic ketones. The IR spectrum of the rhenium carbonyl dimer HRe2(CO)9(SiR3) has been recorded in the reaction mixture. This complex is believed to be the resting state of the active catalyst Re(CO)4SiR3, which could be released upon photactivation. A catalytic mechanism involving this species has been proposed and shown to be thermodynamically feasible using computational studies. In addition, the relative hydrosilylation rates among the various carbonyl substrates can be explained using the same mechanism.