Efficient Reduction of Esters to Aldehydes through Iridium‐Catalyzed Hydrosilylation

Trumping DIBALH: A new method for reduction of esters to aldehydes through silyl acetal intermediates involves a single-step hydrosilylation catalyzed by a readily available iridium complex, [{Ir(coe)2Cl}2] (see scheme; coe=cyclooctene). The low catalyst loading, mild reaction conditions, high conversions, and broad substrate scope make this method a superior alternative to ester reduction using DIBALH. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as "Supporting Information". Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.