Illuminating the Mechanism of the Borane-Catalyzed Hydrosilylation of Imines with Both an Axially Chiral Borane and Silane

The reduction of C=O groups with silanes catalyzed by electron-deficient boranes follows a counterintuitive mechanism in which the Si-H bond is activated by the boron Lewis acid prior to nucleophilic attack of the carbonyl oxygen atom at the silicon atom. The borohydride thus formed is the actual reductant. These steps were elucidated by using a silicon-stereogenic silane, but applying the same technique to the related reduction of C=N groups was inconclusive due to racemization of the silicon atom. The present investigation now proves by the deliberate combination of our axially chiral borane catalyst and axially chiral silane reagents (in both enantiomeric forms) that the mechanisms of these hydrosilylations are essentially identical. Unmistakable stereochemical outcomes for the borane/silane pairs show that both participate in the enantioselectivity-determining hydride-transfer step. These experiments became possible after the discovery that our axially chiral C6F5-substituted borane induces appreciable levels of enantioinduction in the imine hydrosilylation.