Ruthenium carbonyl-catalysed Si-heteroatom X coupling (X = S, O, N)

Ru-3(CO)(12) has been shown to catalyse the coupling of silanes with thiols, alcohols and amines with turnover number (TON) and turnover frequency (TOF) of up to 200 and 50 h(-1) at 80 degrees C. IR, NMR and mass spectroscopic studies have identified a ruthenium dimer complex, [Ru(CO)(4)(SiEt3)](2) as a likely resting state of the catalyst. A mechanism involving this complex has been proposed for the siliconethiol coupling process. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.