Scheme 1. (a, Top) Preparation of Silyl Ester 7 and Silyl Amine 9 and Chemistry of the Resulting Silanaminium Carboxylate Salt 8 and (b, Bottom) Plausible Catalytic Cycle.

Numbers in square brackets are computed relative free energies ΔG₃₈₄ in kcal/mol @ 4 atm. standard state (∼0.13 M) for discrete species involved in the catalytic cycle using the B3LYP+GD3+BJ/Def-TZVPP/SCRF = toluene density functional procedure (see ref (37)).