Silyl formates as hydrosilane surrogates for the transfer hydrosilylation of ketones.

A transfer hydrosilylation of ketones employing silyl formates as hydrosilane surrogates under mild conditions is presented. A total of 24 examples of ketones have been successfully converted to their corresponding silyl ethers with 61-99% yields in the presence of a PN H P-based ruthenium catalyst and silyl formate reagent. The crucial role of the ligand for the transformation is demonstrated.