Zirconium(IV)-Catalysed Hydrosilylation of Organic Carbonates and Polycarbonates Household Wastes into Alcohol Derivatives.

The Schwartz's reagent Cp2Zr(H)Cl is a well known stoichiometric reagent for the reduction of unsaturated organic molecules but it has rarely been used in catalytic transformations. Herein, we describe the reduction of a variety of organic carbonates using the catalyst Cp2Zr(H)Cl in combination with Me(MeO)2SiH (DMMS) as reductant. This method was further applied to the reductive depolymerization of some polycarbonate materials and yielded silylated alcohols and diols in mild conditions.

Catalytic reduction of imines with silylformates: Formation of silyl carbamates through CO2 insertion.

Silylformates are emerging surrogates of hydrosilanes, able to reduce carbonyl groups in transfer hydrosilylation reactions, with the concomitant release of CO2. In this work, a new reactivity is revealed for silylformates, in the presence of imines. Using ruthenium catalysts, and lithium iodide as a co-catalyst, imines are shown to undergo hydrocarboxysilylation by formal insertion of CO2 to the N-Si bond of silyl amine to yield silyl carbamates in excellent yields.