Received: October 2, 2013 | Accepted: October 18, 2013 | Web Released: October 26, 2013
CL-130919
Synthesis of HOMSi Reagents by Pd/Cu-Catalyzed Silylation of Bromoarenes with Disilanes
Yasunori Minami,*1,2 Kenta Shimizu,3 Chisato Tsuruoka,3 Takeshi Komiyama,3 and Tamejiro Hiyama*1,2
1Research and Development Initiative, Chuo University, Kasuga, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8551
2JST, ACT-C, Kasuga, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8551
3Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University, Kasuga, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8551
(E-mail: yminami@kc.chuo-u.ac.jp)
Silylation of aryl bromides with disilanes of type {[2-
(PGOCH2)C6H4]Me2Si}2 (PG: protecting group) successfully
takes place in the presence of a Pd/Ruphos or Davephos/CuI
catalytic system to afford HOMSi reagents containing various
functional groups in good yields. BisHOMSi reagents were also
prepared directly from the corresponding arylene dibromides.
2-(PGOCH2)C6H4Br
1) BuLi, -78 °C, 3 h
2) (SiMe2Cl)2
OPG
OH
OPG
electro-
phile
TsOH•H2O
MeOH
PG = THP
Si
Me2
Si
Me2
Si
Me2
2
2
2
1H, 90%
PG = THP: 1THP
83%
PG = Ac: 1Ac
91%
PG = TBDPS: 1TBDPS
Organosilicon compounds are selective, stable, and thus,
useful reagents for chemoselective organic synthesis. Of the
many functional tolerant transformations, metal-catalyzed cross-
coupling with organic halides are representative.1 Accordingly,
silicon-based cross-coupling reaction is gaining prominence
among various cross-coupling methodologies. In particular, the
tetraorganosilicon-type coupling reagents organo-[2-(hydroxy-
methyl)phenyl]dimethylsilanes (R-HOMSi) are unique for easy
handling and facile recovery and reuse of the Si moiety; these
reagents are now commercially available worldwide.2,3 Ar-
HOMSi reagents have high potential for the synthesis of
functionalized oligoarenes and polyarenes. A typical preparative
method for Ar-HOMSi reagents is the reaction of organometallic
reagents with a cyclic silyl ether, 1,2-(SiMe2OCH2)C6H4.
However, functionalized Ar-HOMSi reagents are less accessible
by this method because of the insufficient chemoselective
transformation. To overcome this disadvantage, transition-metal-
catalyzed silylation of organic halides with disilanes4-6 or
hydrosilanes7 appears to be highly promising for the synthesis of
functionalized organosilicon reagents. In this respect, prepara-
tion of Ar-HOMSi reagents by the silylation of bromoarenes
with hydrosilanes is attractive, as reported by Kondo et al.
However, yields remain only moderate and the scope is
limited.7k Because disilanes are also applicable to such
silylation, we focused on the use of disilanes for the silylation
of aryl halides and herein report a new synthesis of Ar-HOMSi
reagents by the palladium/copper-catalyzed silylation of organic
halides.
PG = MOM: 1MOM
90%
99%
Scheme 1. Preparation of disilanes 1.
duced (See Supporting Information).8 Thus, we next examined
many other activation protocols for 1 as the silylation reagent
and found the catalyst system recorded by Hosomi9a to be
informative: in situ generation of silylcopper reagents by the
reaction of disilanes with Cu(OTf).9 On the basis of this report,
we planned the generation of protected HOMSi copper reagent
by treatment of disilyl reagents 1 with Cu(I) for the silylation of
organic halides.10 Of the many catalysts and additives examined,
we found that the reaction system consisting of [Pd(allyl)Cl]2,
Ruphos (2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2¤,6¤-diisopropoxybiphenyl),
CuI, K2CO3, and THF/DMF (3:1) as a solvent showed catalytic
activity to afford 3a in 34% (NMR) yield together with siloxane
4 in 92% yield (Table 1, Run 1). Other copper salts such as
CuBr, CuBr¢SMe2, and CuCl were less effective. K2CO3 was
proved to be the best; other bases such as Na2CO3, Cs2CO3, and
K3PO4 resulted in lower yields of 3a. In the absence of CuI,
palladium, or K2CO3, formation of 3a was not observed, though
4 was generated, maybe via an attack of the carboxylate anion
or iodonium ion from CuI to 1THP (Runs 2-4). These results
indicate that the silyl copper reagent is formed as an active silyl
nucleophile, possibly by the reaction of 1THP with CuI in the
presence of K2CO3. To enhance the efficiency, various solvents
were further examined and the reaction in dioxane/NMP (4:1) at
100 °C afforded 3a in 80% yield (Run 5). In this solvent without
CuI, 3a was obtained in 52% yield (Run 6). These results
suggest that the highly polar solvents definitely increase the
silylation efficiency, as is evidenced by the couse of H2O that
further increased the yield and shortened the reaction time
(Run 7). Finally, the yield was improved to 87% in the presence
H2O (Run 8).
Protected 2-bromophenylmethanol was lithiated with butyl-
lithium; the resulting aryllithium was allowed to react with
1,2-dichlorotetramethyldisilane to afford protected disilanes
(Scheme 1). Thus, THP-protected disilane 1THP was isolated
in 83% yield. In a similar way, MOM-protected disilane 1MOM
was prepared in 90% yield. Other protected disilanes having
acetyl (1Ac) and TBDPS (1TBDPS) groups were prepared by the
deprotection of 1THP, followed by the protection of the resulting
1H by acetylation or silylation to afford 1Ac and 1TBDPS in 91%
and quantitative yields, respectively.
Deprotection of 3a by TsOH in methanol readily afforded
the cross-coupling active p-tolyl-HOMSi reagent 5.
The scope and limitations of the synthetic method under
the optimized conditions are summarized in Table 2. Protected
disilanes 1MOM, 1Ac, and 1TBDPS reacted with 2a in a similar
manner to afford products 6a, 7a, and 8a in moderate to high
We first tested the reported conditions4f-4h,4j for the
silylation of p-bromotoluene (2a) using 1THP in the presence
of a base without any success: no trace or only small amounts of
the desired product, protected p-tolyl-HOMSi (3a), was pro-
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