Synthesis and characterization of (perfluoroaryl)borane-functionalized carbosilane dendrimers and their use as Lewis acid catalysts for the hydrosilation of acetophenone

Carbosilane dendrimers capped with 4, 8, and 12 perfluoroarylborane Lewis acids are prepared via a self-catalyzed silation of the aryl ether 1 with the appropriate Si-H terminated dendrimer scaffold. The dendrimers were fully characterized by spectroscopic methods and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and tested as catalysts for the hydrosilation of acetophenone using triethylsilane, exhibiting only slightly inferior activities in comparison to B(C6F5)(3).