The selective oxidation of silanes has attracted wide interest as silanols are key synthons for the production of silicon-containing materials and nucleophilic partners in organometallic cross-coupling reactions. Silanes are classically converted into silanols using strong oxidizing agents, resulting in significant amounts of siloxanes and toxic by-products are formed.

Eric Doris, CEA, iBiTecS, Gif-sur-Yvette, France, report an alternative strategy which has led to the discovery of the most efficient catalytic system to date for silane oxidation and the first nanotube-based hybrid system for the oxidation.

The reusable catalytic system could easily oxidize both alkyl and aryl silanes in high yields, under mild conditions, and with no siloxane by-product. The nanohybrid compares most favorably to any other catalytic system in terms of overall efficacy
and turnover values.

• Catalytic Oxidation of Silanes by Carbon Nanotube–Gold Nanohybrids,
  Jubi John, Edmond Gravel, Agnes Hagege, Haiyan Li, Thierry Gacoin, Eric Doris,
  Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50.
  DOI: 10.1002/anie.201101993