Cobalt bis(2-ethylhexanoate) and terpyridine derivatives as catalysts for the hydrosilylation of olefins

A simple method for the hydrosilylation of olefins by using air-stable cobalt catalysts is developed. The catalyst system is composed of simple, cheap, and readily available cobalt(II) salts and well-defined terpyridine derivatives as cocatalysts or ligands, and the hydrosilylation processes can be processed smoothly under mild conditions without either Grignard reagents or NaHBEt 3 as activator.