Ring Opening Reduction of Cyclic Anhydrides Catalyzed by Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane Using Hydrosilanes as a Hydride Source.

Hydrosilanes are widely used as reducing agents in the reduction of carbonyl groups, and various catalysts have been developed for the activation of hydrosilanes, the majority of them being transition metal-based. A main-group-based Lewis acid tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (BCF) has gained increasing attention due to its Lewis acidity and versatility, along with being nonmetal. Herein, we describe the BCF-catalyzed ring opening reduction of cyclic anhydrides using hydrosilanes as a source of hydrides.