Direct Synthesis and Applications of Solid Silylzinc Reagents

The increased synthetic utility of organosilanes motivates researchers to develop a 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 Me3 SiLi 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 economical strategy. We describe for the first time, the direct synthesis of PhMe2 SiZnI and Me3 SiZnI reagents by employing a coordinating TMEDA ligand, as well as single crystal XRD structures. Importantly, they can be obtained as solid and stored for longer periods of time. We 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 Me3 SiZnI are shown in a wide variety of reactions including alkylation, arylation, allylation, 1,4-addition, acylation and more.