Examining the role of Rh/Si cooperation in alkene hydrogenation by a pincer-type [P2Si]Rh complex

A bis(phosphine)/triflatosilyl pincer-type Rh(I) complex can reversibly store one equivalent of H-2 across the Si-Rh bond upon triflate migration from silicon to rhodium. The triflatosilyl complex serves as an effective precatalyst for norbornene hydrogenation, but Si-OTf bond cleavage is not implicated in the major catalytic pathway. The combined findings suggest possible strategies for M/Si cooperation in catalytic processes.