Dimethoxytetramethyldisilane: overcoming the limitations of palladium-catalyzed C–H silacyclization of 2-iodobiphenyls†

Abstract

Herein, a readily accessible silicon reagent (dimethoxytetramethyldisilane) has been developed for time-controlled palladium-catalyzed C–H silacyclization of 2-iodobiphenyls. This protocol enables divergent synthesis of dibenzooxadisilepines and dibenzosiloles in moderate to excellent yields by a process involving palladium-catalyzed disilylation, hydrolysis, condensation, and ring contraction. Notably, this reaction is compatible with a variety of substrates with electron-withdrawing groups, which overcomes the limitations of previous reports.