title: Crown ether adducts of light alkali metal triphenylsilyls: synthesis, structure and hydrosilylation catalysis.
abstract: Alkali metal triphenylsilyls [Li(12-crown-4)SiPh3]·(thf)0.5 (2), [Na(15-crown-5)SiPh3]·(thf)0.5 (3) and [K(18-crown-6)SiPh3(thf)] (4) were synthesized using 1,1,1-trimethyl-2,2,2-triphenyldisilane (Ph3SiSiMe3) and isolated in high yields. Solid state structures were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. These alkali metal silyls catalyzed the regioselective hydrosilylation of 1,1-diphenylethylene to give the anti-Markovnikov product. The presence of crown ethers enhanced the reactivity of the metal silyls in hydrosilylation catalysis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 1, D-52056 Aachen, Germany. jun.okuda@ac.rwth-aachen.de.
authors.forename: Valeri
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Leich
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lamberts
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Spaniol
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Okuda