Hydroboration and Hydrosilylation of a Molybdenum–Nitride Complex Bearing a PNP-Type Pincer Ligand

Mechanism of Silylation of Vinyl Arenes by Hydrodisiloxanes Driven by Stoichiometric Amounts of Sodium Triethylborohydride-A Combined DFT and Experimental Study

The reactions of vinyl arenes with hydrodisiloxanes in the presence of sodium triethylborohydride were studied using experimental and computational methods. The expected hydrosilylation products were not detected because triethylborohydrides did not exhibit the catalytic activity observed in previous studies; instead, the product of formal silylation with dimethylsilane was identified, and triethylborohydride was consumed in stoichiometric amounts. In this article, the mechanism of the reaction is described in detail, with due consideration given to the conformational freedom of important intermediates and the two-dimensional curvature of the potential energy hypersurface cross sections. A simple way to reestablish the catalytic character of the transformation was identified and explained with reference to its mechanism. The reaction presented here is an example of the application of a simple transition-metal-free catalyst in the synthesis of silylation products, with flammable gaseous reagents replaced by a more convenient silane surrogate.

Spontaneous N2-diboranylation of [W(N2)2(dppe)2] with B2Br4(SMe2)2

The 1,3-bromoboration of [W(N₂)₂(dppe)₂] (dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane) with B₂Br₄(SMe₂)₂ in the presence of various Lewis bases L yields diboranyldiazenido complexes, with L coordinating either at the terminal or internal boron atom. The 2 : 1 reaction of [W(N₂)₂(dppe)₂] and B₂Br₄(SMe₂)₂ yields a 1,2-bis(diazenido)diborane-bridged ditungsten complex with a fully planar π-conjugated BrWN₂B₂Br₂N₂WBr core.

The transition metal-catalysed hydroboration reaction

This review covers the development of the transition metal-catalysed hydroboration reaction, from its beginnings in the 1980s to more recent developments including earth-abundant catalysts and an ever-expanding array of substrates.