Protodesilylation of Arylsilanes by Visible-Light Photocatalysis

The first visible-light-mediated photocatalytic, metal- and base-free protodesilylation of arylsilanes is presented. The C­(sp2)–Si bond cleavage process is catalyzed by a 5 mol % loading of a commercially available acridinium salt upon blue-light irradiation. Two simple approaches have been identified employing either aerobic or hydrogen atom transfer cocatalytic conditions, which enable the efficient and selective desilylation of a broad variety of simple and complex arylsilanes under mild conditions.