Role of Low-Valent Rhenium Species in Catalytic Hydrosilylation Reactions with Oxorhenium Catalysts

The catalytic competency of a Re(III) complex has been demonstrated. In the presence of silane, oxorhenium(V) catalysts are deoxygenated to produce species that are significantly more active than the metal oxo precursors in hydrosilylation reactions. The results presented suggest that, in evaluating mechanisms for catalytic hydrosilylation reactions that involve high-valent metal oxo complexes, the activity of species that may be generated by deoxygenation of the metal with silane should also be systematically investigated as potential catalysts.