Transition-metal-catalyzed C–Si bond activation
has been
emerging as a powerful tool for synthesizing organosilicons. However,
chemodivergent synthesis of structurally diverse organosilicons via
controllable C–Si bond activation remains challenging. Herein,
we report a rhodium-catalyzed chemodivergent synthesis of organosilicons
by controllable C–Si bond activation. This protocol enables
the rapid synthesis of four types of organosilicons, including allyl
silyl ethers, vinylsilanes, oxasilacycles, and β-silyl ketones,
from simple silyl propargyl alcohols and arylboronic acids. The key
to success is controllable on/off of the C–Si bond activation
and selective cleavage of different types of C–Si bonds. This
work demonstrates the possibility and great potential of controllable
C–Si activation in transition-metal catalysis.