Metal-Free Insertion Reactions of Silanes with Aryldiazoacetates.

Si-H insertion reactions represent an important method for the efficient construction of new C-Si bonds, and typically, they are conducted in the presence of metal catalysts. In this report, we describe a photochemical approach that now allows the insertion of carbenes into the Si-H bond of silanes under metal-free reaction conditions (23 examples, up to 83% yield).