Silanol as a removable directing group for the pd ^II-catalyzed direct olefination of arenes

Need some direction? Silanol was developed as a directing group for the Pd ^II-catalyzed oxidative Heck-type reaction of arenes. A one-pot C-H activation/desilylation process of benzyldiisopropylsilanol was also demonstrated, providing a powerful approach for the synthesis of ortho-alkenyl-substituted alkylarenes (see scheme). Considering the easily attachable and readily removable properties of the silanol group, this reaction will find broad synthetic applications.