Organosilicon compounds act as a
nucleophile upon activation by
an appropriate base and behave in a manner similar to main-group organometallic
reagents. In the last decades, structurally divergent organosilicon
reagents are available and have become more employed for synthetic
transformation with the aid of transition-metal complexes, because
organosilicon compounds are in general superior to other organometallic
compounds in view of stability, solubility, nontoxicity, and easy-handling.
Particularly, cross-coupling of organosilicon reagents with organic
halides or pseudohalides has been considered to be a useful tool for
constructing the carbon frameworks of various target molecules such
as pharmaceuticals and π-conjugated functional materials. Perfluoroalkylsilicon
compounds such as CF3SiEt3 have found use as
reagents for the metal-catalyzed introduction of perfluoroalkyl groups
into many substrates. In addition, functionalized organosilicon reagents
are readily accessible by catalytic approach starting with appropriate
hydrocarbons such as alkenes, alkynes, alkanes, and arenes. This article
reviews recent advances in transition-metal-catalyzed transformations
of organosilicon reagents according to the type of synthetic transformation
and metal catalyst.