Super Lewis Acid

Martin Oestreich and co-workers at the Universitat Munster have recently published in ACIEE on the synthesis and use of a cationic silylium ion with a ferrocenyl unit in the backbone.  They synthesized the silylium cation via hydride abstraction of a silane using a trityl-borate complex.  The catalyst was used to allow for the low temperature setting of the Diels-Alder reaction – ie:  -78 degrees Celsius.

 

ACIEE paper