Gryparis C, Stratakis M * University of Crete, Iraklion, Greece
Gold Nanoparticles-Catalyzed Activation of 1,2-Disilanes: Hydrolysis, Silyl Protection of Alcohols and Reduction of
tert-Benzylic Alcohols.
Chem. Commun. 2012;
48: 10751-10753
Key words
gold nanoparticles - titanium dioxide - 1,2-disilanes - alcohols
Significance
Gold nanoparticles supported on titanium dioxide (Au/TiO2) catalyzed the silylation of water and primary, secondary, and tertiary aliphatic alcohols with 1,2-disilanes via Si–Si bond cleavage to give the corresponding silyl ethers in up to >99% yield (eq. 1). When tertiary benzylic alcohols were used for the reaction, the reduction proceeded to afford the corresponding alkanes as the major products (eq. 2).
Comment
The authors previously reported the oxidative cycloaddition of 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane to alkynes catalyzed by Au/TiO2 (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 10426). The catalytic activity of Au/TiO2 for the silylation of water was superior to that of gold nanoparticles supported on other supports such as aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and zinc oxide (ZnO).
