Introduction
<P>Polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS), a silicon industry by-product
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1]
incorporating with various catalysts including Sn, Ti, Pd, Zn, Zr and Cu, is found
to be effective as an excellent alternative reducing agent in organic synthesis.
It is inexpensive, commercially available, non-toxic, biodegradable and stable to
air and moisture, which makes it an attractive reagent of choice. The reagent is of
low viscosity and soluble in most organic solvents.
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2]
</P>
<P>Besides its recognized application in chemoselective as well as regioselective
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3]
reductions, it finds uses in asymmetric reduction of different species such as acetophenones
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4]
and benzophenone derivatives,
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5]
imines,
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and conjugated double bonds.
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7a]
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b]
</P><P>In catalytic reduction processes using PMHS in combination with metal catalysts,
the catalysts play the role as hydride transferring agents.
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2]
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8]
Some nucleophiles like fluoride
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1]
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8]
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9]
also act as catalyst in addition to metals.</P><P>Being a convenient chemoselective
reagent for different ketones, imines and phosphine oxides, it has also been used
in reductive cleavage of carbon-halogen
[
1]
[
9]
as well as carbon-sulfur bonds.
1
</P>