Deoxygenative reduction of organometallic compounds by hydrosilanes — an organometallic approach to reaction mechanisms of catalytic CO hydrogenation Original Research Article

Elementary steps of catalytic CO hydrogenation are reproduced on organometallic systems by using hydrosilane (HSiR3) as an equivalent for H2. These transformations are based on the features of hydrosilanes, i.e. (1) the reactivity of the H–Si bond in hydrosilane to that of the H–H bond and (2) the Lewis acidic activation of oxygen-containing functional groups by silyl metal species resulting from oxidative addition of hydrosilane.