Sterically Congested Bisphosphite Ligands for the Rhodium(I)-Catalyzed Hydrosilation of Ketones

Sterically congested bisphosphites were shown to be effective ligands for the Rh-catalyzed hydrosilation of ketones with diphenylsilane. The hydrosilation of 4-alkylcyclohexanones and ( m )-menthone led to a significant proportion of the less stable (axial) alcohol, which suggests that these reactions are under kinetic, rather than thermodynamic, control.