Efforts to prepare the desired silane directly via amidation of
triethylphosphonoacetate (1a) with aminopropyltriethoxysilane
(2) were unsuccessful (the reaction required elevated temperatures and generated multiple side products).
Thus, our focus turned to the trifluoroethyl analog (1b). This
material was prepared in straightforward fashion by treating
diethylphosphonoacetic acid with thionyl chloride, and subsequently with trifluoroethanol.5 After distillation, the desired
trifluoroethyl ester was obtained in 58% yield.6 Exposure of 1b
to neat 2, resulted in a moderate exotherm and the clean
production of the desired CMPO silane (3).7 Attempts to purify
3 via vacuum distillation resulted in partial decomposition of
the product. Fortunately, the reaction affording 3 is sufficiently
clean as to allow direct usage of the crude product (we simply
removed the trifluoroethanol by-product under vacuum).