Generation of Nickel Siloxycarbene Complexes from Acylsilanes for the Catalytic Synthesis of Silyl Enol Ethers

A catalytic protocol has been developed to access Fischer carbene nickel complexes using acylsilanes as stable and readily available precursors. The as-generated Fischer carbene complexes exhibit versatile reactivity, including cyclopropanation with alkenes, α-C–H insertion reactions, and two-component C–H addition to norbornene, which demonstrates the broad utility of the nickel(0)/acylsilane system for the catalytic applications of Fischer carbene complexes.