Versatile Tetrasilane for Time-Controlled Palladium-Catalyzed Divergent Synthesis of Silacycles via C–H Activation

Transition-metal-catalyzed intermolecular annulation of silicon reagents with organic molecules is still underdeveloped due to the scarcity of silicon reagent types and their diverse reactivity. Herein, a readily accessible silicon reagent (octamethyl-1,4-dioxacyclohexasilane) has been developed for divergent synthesis of silacycles via time-controlled palladium-catalyzed cascade C–H silacyclization. This protocol enables the rapid and selective transformation of acrylamides into spirosilacycles with different ring sizes, including benzodioxatetrasilecines, benzooxadisilepines, and benzosiloles, in moderate to good yields through a time switch. Notably, the tetrasilane reagent can also be utilized for C–H silacyclization of 2-halo-N-methacryloylbenzamides and 2-iodobiphenyls, leading to diverse fused silacycles. Furthermore, several synthetic transformations of products are achieved. A series of mechanistic studies demonstrate the transformation relationships and possible pathways among ten-, seven-, and five-membered silacycles.