Regiospecific hydrosilylation of styrene by rhodium complexes heterogenised on modified USY-zeolites

The hydrosilylation of styrene with phenyldimethylsilane, diphenylsilane and triethylsilane at 25–50°C in the presence of 0.1% molar amount of a rhodium catalyst (4a, 5a) or its corresponding heterogenised on a modified USY-zeolite catalysts (Zeol-4b, Zeol-5b) proceeded with unusual regioselectivity to give 2-phenylethylsilanes in excellent yields. The influence of temperature, the styrene to silane molar ratio, solvent, nature of the ligand and role of the support have been studied. The supported catalysts present advantages over their homogeneous counterparts, such as, enhanced stability, increased selectivity, simplicity of recovering and recycling of the catalysts and the easier workup. Thus, these catalytic materials are a real alternative to classical homogeneous Pt-catalysts for hydrosilylation of olefins to linear silanes in the laboratory or pre-industrial environments.