Co-Catalyzed Hydrosilylation of Ketones under Base-Free Conditions: A Convenient Route to Silyl Ethers or Secondary Alcohols

A cobalt-catalyzed addition of hydrosilanes to unsaturated carbon-oxygen bonds has been developed, relying on complexes featuring easily accessible and inexpensive PNP-type pincer ligands. A wide range of heterocyclic, aliphatic, and aromatic ketones, including those containing both electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents, were transformed into silyl ethers or secondary alcohols with high yields. An important feature of this protocol is that silanes can act as both the substrates and activators, eliminating the need for external additives such as strong bases.