Rhodium-catalyzed addition of phenylmethyldifluorosilane to aldehydes

Phenylmethyldifluorosilane reacts with aldehydes in the presence of a fluoride salt and a catalytic amount of a cationic rhodium complex, [Rh(cod)(CH3CN)(2)]BF4, affording the corresponding phenylated alcohols in good yield. The reaction mechanism involves the transmetalation between a fluorine-coordinated silicate and a rhodium complex to generate a phenylrhodium species.