Facile cyclometallation of a mesitylsilylene: synthesis and preliminary catalytic activity of iridium(iii) and iridium(v) iridasilacyclopentenes

Abstract

Reactions of the mesityl-amidinato-silylene Si(^tBu₂bzam)Mes (1; ^tBu₂bzam = N,N'-bis(tert-butyl)benzamidinato; Mes = mesityl) with three different iridium precursors led, at room temperature, to two iridium(iii) and one iridium(v) complexes featuring one (Ir^III) or two (Ir^V) cyclometallated silylene ligands. The iridium(iii) complexes are active catalyst precursors for H/D exchange and dehydrogenative borylation of arene C-H bonds.