Preparation of Silyl Esters by ZnCl2-Catalyzed Dehydrogenative Cross-Coupling of Carboxylic Acids and Silanes

An efficient route to silyl esters by dehydrogenative cross-coupling of silanes and carboxylic acids was investigated. Treatment of silanes and carboxylic acids in the presence of 15mol% of ZnCl2 in DMF at 120 °C afforded the corresponding ­silyl esters in good yields under relatively mild conditions.