Synlett 2011(14): 2102-2103  
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1260971
SPOTLIGHT
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart ˙ New York

1,1,3,3-Tetramethyldisiloxane

Jia Deng*
The College of Chemistry & Material Science, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050016, P. R. of China
e-Mail: 176298246@163.com;
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
21 July 2011 (online)

Introduction

1,1,3,3-Tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDS) is a hydrosiloxane derivative and has been used in organic synthesis as a mild reducing agent and intermediate for the preparation of organopolysiloxanes. It is a rather cheap, little hazardous, safe, volatile liquid boiling at 71 ˚C and is stable towards air and moisture. [¹] It has been used as a reducing agent for the direct synthesis of alkyl halides from aldehydes [²] and for the synthesis of alkyl halides from epoxides. [³] It was also found to be a mild donor of hydride for selective semihydrogenation of acetylenes to olefins, [4] it is used for the reduction of aryl chlorides to the corresponding arenes, [5] the reduction of unsymmetrical secondary phosphine oxides to secondary phosphine, [6] the reductive cleavage of inert C-O bonds, [7] and the preparation of aldenamines from carboxamides. [8] The enantio­selective reductive Michael cyclization of substrates containing two α,β-unsaturated carbonyl moieties has been achieved by the use of a combination of TMDS and chiral copper-bisphosphine complexes. [9] Reduction and reductive N-alkylation of secondary amides to secondary amines with a ruthenium complex/TMDS system are readily accomplished. [¹0]

1,1,3,3-Tetramethyldisiloxane is a by-product of the silicon industry and the lowest-molecular-weight commercially available hydrosiloxane derivative now. It can be readily prepared by reduction of 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-1,3-dichloro-1,3-disiloxane with a metal hydride such as lithium aluminum hydride, sodium aluminum hydride, lithium borohydride, lithium hydride or sodium hydride in tetrahydrofuran.

Scheme 1