Convenient route to di- and triorganosilyl ethyl ethers and the corresponding di- and triorganosilanes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0022-328X(92)83181-G

Tetraethoxysilane was treated with alkyl- and aryllithium reagents for the reparation of organosilyl ethyl ethers of the type R3SiOEt, R2R'SiOEt, and R2Si(OEt)2, that can be reduced to the organosilanes R3SiH, R2R'SiH, and R2SiH2, respectively, Compounds of the type RR'R''SiOEt cannot be cleanly formed.The reduction procedure involves treatment of the silyl alkoxy ethers with diisobutylaluminium hydride (DIBALH) and hydrolysis of the remaining alkylaluminium compounds with Na2SO4*10H2O.This hydrolysis provides a convenient method for the isolation of R3SiH, R2R'SiH, and R2SiH2 compounds without hydrolysis of the Si-H moiety that often occurs in standard aqueous work-up procedures of unhindered silanes.