Quaternary Ammonium Salts: Catalysts for Hydrosilylation of Alkynes with Hydrosilanes

Abstract

AbstractMixing i‐PrI and DABCO in solvent EtCN gave two quaternary ammonium salts (QASs) quantitatively, one of which is monocationic (QAS‐1) and the other is dicationic (QAS‐2). These QASs were found to catalyze hydrosilylation of alkynes with hydrosilanes (HAH) without the aid of metal and metalloid catalysts. This organocatalysis can be applied to a variety of alkynes: terminal/internal aryl and alkyl alkynes with/without a functional group. With dihydrosilanes (H2Si), the HAH occurred with high E‐selectivity through syn addition, which was exclusively observed when using terminal alkyl alkynes, irrespective of a hydrosilane used. A scalable HAH is also feasible. The H−Si unit remaining in alkenylsilanes derived from H2Si is available for dehydrogenative alkynylation and N‐heteroarylation under zinc–pyridine catalysis. This synthetic application delivers unique silicon compounds that have, for instance, alkyl, aryl, alkenyl, and alkynyl groups in a single molecule. Mechanistic studies suggested that alkynes activated by QASs irreversibly react with hydrosilanes that become more nucleophilic by the coordination of EtCN. A radical pathway is unlikely. The QAS catalysts can be recovered and reused at least 5 times.