Palladium-catalyzed disilylation of 2-bromoarylferrocenes: An efficient approach to 1-Trimethylsilyl-2-(2-trimethylsilylaryl)ferrocenes

An unprecedented method for the palladium-catalyzed disilylation of 2-bromoarylferrocenes with hexamethyldisilane has been developed. The catalytic cycle is initiated by oxidative addition of 2-bromoarylferrocenes to Pd(0), followed by CH activation to form a reactive five-membered C,C-palladacycle. By using this protocol, a variety of disilylated ferrocene compounds were obtained in moderate to good yields.