Reaction of iodo(trimethyl)silane with N,N-dimethyl carboxylic acid amides

The reactions of iodo(trimethyl)silane with N,N-dimethylformamide and N,N-dimethylacetamide Me(2)NCOR (R = H, Me) at a molar ratio of 1: 2 involved mainly cleavage of the N-C(=O) bond with formation of up to 80% of N,N-dimethyltrimethylsilylamine Me(3)SiNMe(2) and the corresponding acyl iodide RCOI. In the reaction with N,N-dimethylformamide, formyl iodide HCOI was detected for the first time by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The contribution of Me-N bond cleavage, leading to N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyl derivative Me(Me(3)Si)NCOR and methyl iodide was considerably smaller. Another by-product was the corresponding N-methyl imide MeN(COR)(2) formed by reaction of the initial amide with acyl iodide. The primary intermediate in the reaction of iodo(trimethyl)silane with DMF and DMA is quaternary ammonium salt [Me(2)(Me(3)Si)N(+)COR] I(-) which decomposes via dissociation of the N-CO and N-Me bonds.