-Silylamines in catalysis: synthesis and reactivity.

A summary of the catalytic synthesis and reactivity of -silylated amines is presented. Dehydrocoupling of amines with silanes, hydrosilylation of imines and dealkenylative coupling of amines with vinylsilanes are three ways to achieve their catalytic syntheses. The resultant -silylamines serve as substrates in a variety of reactions, including C-N and C-C bond forming reactions, and are preferred in transformations because of the facile Si-N hydrolytic cleavage to reveal free amine products upon reaction completion. This review highlights the distinct electronic properties of -silyl amines, -silyl imines and -silyl enamines that result in complementary reactivity to that of parent non-silyl variants.