Magnesium-induced regiospecific C-silylation of suitably substituted enoates and dienoates

The β-aryl–β-silyl and β,β-disilyl propionates have been synthesized from cinnamates and β-silyl acrylates by a regiospecific reductive C-silylation using Mg/silyl chloride/DMF system at room temperature. These reductive C-silylation conditions have also been applied to δ-aryl substituted dienoates wherein silylation took place at the δ-position leading to the synthesis of single regioisomeric allylsilanes with very high stereoselectivity.