Silylboronate-Mediated Defluorosilylation of Aryl Fluorides with or without Ni-Catalyst

The defluorosilylation of aryl fluorides to access aryl silanes was achieved under transition-metal-free conditions via an inert C-F bond activation. The defluorosilylation, mediated by silylboronates and KOtBu, proceeded smoothly at room temperature to afford various aryl silanes in good yields. Although a comparative experiment indicated that Ni catalyst facilitated this transformation more efficiently, the transition-metal-free protocol is advantageous from a green chemistry perspective.

Automated summary

The defluorosilylation of aryl fluorides to access aryl silanes was achieved under transition-metal-free conditions via an inert C-F bond activation. This method, mediated by silylboronates and KOtBu, proceeds smoothly at room temperature to afford various aryl silanes in good yields. While a comparative experiment showed that a Ni catalyst facilitated the transformation more efficiently, the transition-metal-free protocol is advantageous from a green chemistry perspective.