It has been announced that researchers have developed a highly efficient O-silylation of alcohol with vinylsilane, using a rhodium catalyst.

Scientists from Yonsei University in Seoul discovered that O-silylations can be carried out with vinylsilanes at room temperature by utilising the rhodium catalyst.

The researchers discovered that even secondary and tertiary alcohols were highly reactive when an increased amount of the rhodium catalyst was used, the American Chemical Society reports.

The catalytic efficiency of the reaction was revealed by the researchers as they reduced the catalyst and HCl concentrations to 0.01 mol per cent and 0.06 mol per cent, respectively.

The O-silylation of hydroxyl groups offers significant potential for use as a protecting strategy in organic synthesis.

Sources:

Noteworthy Chemistry, 26/11/07
http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_ARTICLEMAIN&node_id=840&content_id=WPCP_007068&use_sec=true&sec_url_var=region1#P60_8162

Highly Efficient O-Silylation of Alcohol with Vinylsilane Using a Rh(I)/HCl Catalyst at Room Temperature, 8/09/07
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ol701909e

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