In initial experiments, 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene (IPr, a stable NHC) [²²] was examined as a catalyst for the coupling reaction of dimethyl trimethylsilyl phosphite and p-chlorobenzaldehyde in tetrahydrofuran (THF; Table [¹] , entry 1). To our delight, the reaction