Catalytic activation of silylated nucleophiles using tBu-P4 as a base

Trialkylsilyl groups play an important role as effective protecting groups in organic synthesis. Various O, N, and C nucleophilic sites can be protected by trialkylsilyl groups to control the selectivity of reactions. The nucleophilic attack of a fluoride anion on a silyl group is recognized as one of the most useful methods for desilylation. The activation of the nucleophile-silicon bond is important not only for desilylation but also for the generation of a reactive nucleophilic anion to achieve a new bond formation. The phosphazene bases developed by Schwesinger are known to be strong non-metallic organic bases. Among them, the tBu-P4 base has been used for various selective deprotonative transformations, although the ability of tBu-P4 base to activate silylated nucleophiles has not yet been shown. A novel catalytic activation of various O, N, and C nucleophile-silicon bonds using tBu-P4 base was investigated to perform nucleophilic reactions with various electrophiles.