A new approach to light-gated Pt catalysts for the hydrosilylation

A new concept for a light-gated transition metal catalyst is presented based on a photo-active moiety in the outer ligand sphere of the complex which on irradiation reacts irreversibly with some part of the inner ligand sphere releasing a free coordination site. The principle is exemplified on a platinum complex for the hydrosilylation. It is proven that the catalytic properties of the complex and the properties of the photo-gate can be fine-tuned on the chemical problem independently of each other.