Synthesis and Characterization of (Perfluoroaryl)borane-Functionalized Carbosilane Dendrimers and Their Use as Lewis Acid Catalysts for the Hydrosilation of Acetophenone

Carbosilane dendrimers capped with 4, 8, and 12 perfluoroarylborane Lewis acids are prepared via a self-catalyzed silation of the aryl ether 1 with the appropriate Si−H terminated dendrimer scaffold. The dendrimers were fully characterized by spectroscopic methods and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and tested as catalysts for the hydrosilation of acetophenone using triethylsilane, exhibiting only slightly inferior activities in comparison to B(C6F5)3.