An Additive-Free, Base-Catalyzed Protodesilylation of Organosilanes

We report an additive-free, base-catalyzed C–, N–, O–, and S–Si bond cleavage of various organosilanes in mild conditions. The novel catalyst system exhibits high efficiency and good functional group compatibility, providing the corresponding products in good to excellent yields with low catalyst loadings. Overall, this transition-metal-free process may offer a convenient and general alternative to current employing excess bases, strong acids, or metal-catalyzed systems for the protodesilylation of organosilanes.