Formation of Substituted Vinylsilanes from the Ruthenium-Catalyzed Dehydrosilylation of Terminal Alkenes

Abstract

The ruthenium complexes 1a and 2a were found to be effective catalysts for the dehydrogenative silylation of terminal alkenes. The ruthenium complexes were prepared by following literature methods, and the molecular structure of 2b was determined by X-ray crystallography. Both catalysts displayed high selectivity toward the formation of trans -vinylsilane products 3 . For alkenes with a α-CH 2 group, mixtures of 3 and 4 were formed, and 1a was found to be more effective than 2a in these cases. These results are consistent with the mechanism involving a silyl migration, as previously proposed by other groups.