Ruthenium carbonyl-catalysed Si-heteroatom X coupling (X = S, O, N)

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/j.jorganchem.2012.07.024

Ru₃(CO)₁₂ has been shown to catalyse the coupling of silanes with thiols, alcohols and amines with turnover number (TON) and turnover frequency (TOF) of up to 200 and 50 h^-1 at 80 °C. IR, NMR and mass spectroscopic studies have identified a ruthenium dimer complex, [Ru(CO)₄(SiEt₃)]₂ as a likely resting state of the catalyst. A mechanism involving this complex has been proposed for the silicon-thiol coupling process.