Nickel-Catalyzed C–H Silylation of Arenes with Vinylsilanes: Rapid and Reversible β‑Si Elimination

The reaction of C6F5H and H2CCHSiMe3 with catalytic [iPr2Im]­Ni­(η2-H2CCHSiMe3)2 (1b) exclusively forms the C–H silylation product C6F5SiMe3 with ethylene as a byproduct ([iPr2Im] = 1,3-di­(isopropyl)­imidazole-2-ylidene). Catalytic C–H bond silylation is facile with partially fluorinated aromatic substrates containing two ortho fluorine substituents adjacent to the C–H bond and 1,2,3,4-tetrafluorobenzene. Less fluorinated substrates react slower. Under the same reaction conditions, catalytic [IPr]­Ni­(η2-H2CCHSiMe3)2 (1a) ([IPr] = 1,3-bis­[2,6-diisopropylphenyl]-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazol-2-ylidene) provided only the alkene hydroarylation product C6F5CH2CH2SiMe3. Mechanistic studies reveal that the C–H activation and β-Si elimination steps are reversible under catalytic conditions with both catalysts 1a and 1b. With catalytic 1a, reversible ethylene loss after β-Si elimination was also observed despite its inability to catalyze C–H silylation; the reductive elimination step to form the silylation product is much slower than reductive elimination to form the alkene hydroarylation product. Reversible ethylene loss was not observed with 1b, which suggests that the rate-limiting step in the reaction is neither C–H activation nor β-Si elimination but either ethylene loss or reductive elimination of cis-disposed aryl and SiMe3 moieties.