The mechanistic details of the cobalt-catalyzed intermolecular hydroacylation reaction have been investigated using kinetic, spectroscopic, and crystallographic methods. The Co (I) bisolefin complex 1,[C5Me5Co (C2H3SiMe3) 2], was shown to catalyze the addition of a series of alkyl aldehydes (2a-l) to vinylsilanes to give the corresponding ketones with exclusive anti-Markovnikov selectivity under mild conditions. The catalytic cycle exhibits ...
