Organocatalytic synthetic route to esters and their application in hydrosilylation process.

A facile esterification of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes with alcohols has been developed for the synthesis of esters by using bulky N-heterocyclic (NHC) carbene as a metal-free and eco-friendly organocatalyst. This new protocol has been proved to be effective with a wide substrate scope, giving selective esters in yields greater than 84% under mild conditions. Moreover, proposed synthetic strategy enables modification of various types of silsesquioxanes (SQ) which cannot or are technically difficult to be carried out with known protocols. For the first time, a one-pot sequential esterification/hydrosilylation has been successfully carried out.