Boryl Radicals as a New Photoinitiating Species: A Way to Reduce the Oxygen Inhibition

A radical approach for the selective C-H borylation of azines

Boron functional groups are often introduced in place of aromatic carbon-hydrogen bonds to expedite small-molecule diversification through coupling of molecular fragments^1-3. Current approaches based on transition-metal-catalysed activation of carbon-hydrogen bonds are effective for the borylation of many (hetero)aromatic derivatives^4,5 but show narrow applicability to azines (nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycles), which are key components of many pharmaceutical and agrochemical products⁶. Here we report an azine borylation strategy using stable and inexpensive amine-borane⁷ reagents. Photocatalysis converts these low-molecular-weight materials into highly reactive boryl radicals⁸ that undergo efficient addition to azine building blocks. This reactivity provides a mechanistically alternative tactic for sp² carbon-boron bond assembly, where the elementary steps of transition-metal-mediated carbon-hydrogen bond activation and reductive elimination from azine-organometallic intermediates are replaced by a direct, Minisci⁹-style, radical addition. The strongly nucleophilic character of the amine-boryl radicals enables predictable and site-selective carbon-boron bond formation by targeting the azine's most activated position, including the challenging sites adjacent to the basic nitrogen atom. This approach enables access to aromatic sites that elude current strategies based on carbon-hydrogen bond activation, and has led to borylated materials that would otherwise be difficult to prepare. We have applied this process to the introduction of amine-borane functionalities to complex and industrially relevant products. The diversification of the borylated azine products by mainstream cross-coupling technologies establishes aromatic amino-boranes as a powerful class of building blocks for chemical synthesis.

Copper-Photocatalyzed Hydroboration of Alkynes and Alkenes

The photocatalytic hydroboration of alkenes and alkynes is reported. The use of newly-designed copper photocatalysts with B2 Pin2 permits the formation a boryl radical, which is used for hydroboration of a large panel of alkenes and alkynes. The hydroborated products were isolated in high yields, with excellent diastereoselectivities and a high functional group tolerance under mild conditions. The hydroboration reactions were developed under continuous flow conditions to demonstrate their synthetic utility. The reaction mechanism was studied and suggested an oxidation reaction between an in situ formed borate and the Cu-photocatalyst in its excited state for the boryl radical formation.

Electrochemical Hydroboration of Alkynes

Herein we reported the electrochemical hydroboration of alkynes by using B₂Pin₂ as the boron source. This unprecedented reaction manifold was applied to a broad range of alkynes, giving the hydroboration products in good to excellent yields without the need of a metal catalyst or a hydride source. This transformation relied on the possible electrochemical oxidation of an in situ formed borate. This anodic oxidation performed in an undivided cell allowed the formation of a putative boryl radical, which reacted on the alkyne.

Inverse Hydroboration of Imines with NHC-Boranes Is Promoted by Diphenyl Disulfide and Visible Light

We describe a simple and efficient procedure for nucleophilic borylation of imines in the absence of a photoredox catalyst. Visible light irradiation of an acetonitrile solution of an imine, an NHC-borane, and diphenyl disulfide (10 mol %) provides various stable α-amino NHC-boranes in good yields. The reaction proceeds via addition of a nucleophilic boryl radical to an imine, followed by hydrogen abstraction from thiophenol, which is generated from NHC-borane and diphenyl disulfide.

Reactions of a BICAAC with hydroboranes: propensity for Lewis adduct formation and carbene insertion into the B-H bond

The reactivity of a bicyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene (BICAAC) towards different boranes has been examined in the present work. The reactions with boranes BX3·SMe2 (X = H, Cl, Br), BF3·OEt2 and BCl3 yield Lewis adducts [BICAAC·BH3] (1), [BICAAC·BHCl2] (2), [BICAAC·BH2Cl] (3), [BICAAC·BF3] (4), [BICAAC·BCl3] (5) and [BICAAC·BBr3] (6) respectively, whereas more hydridic boranes, 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (9-BBN) and catecholborane (HBcat), enable the insertion of the carbene carbon into the B-H bond to form [BICAAC(H)-(9-BBN)] (7) and [BICAAC(H)-Bcat] (8). These complexes are the first examples of BICAAC-boron compounds and have been characterized using IR, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, HRMS spectrometry and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Computational analyses were also performed to gain insight into the mechanism of B-H bond activation and adduct formation. Furthermore, the reactions of the BICAAC with boranes have been compared with the known reactions of CAACs and NHCs.

The water–boryl radical as a proton-coupled electron transfer reagent for carbon dioxide, formic acid, and formaldehyde — Theoretical approach

The thermochemistry of the hydrogen atom transfer reactions from the H2O–BX2 radical system (X = H, CH3, NH2, OH, F) to carbon dioxide, formic acid, and (or) formaldehyde, which produce hydroxyformyl, dihydroxymethyl, and hydroxymethyl radicals, respectively, were investigated theoretically at ROMP2/6–311+G(3DF,2P)//UB3LYP/6–31G(D) and UG3(MP2)-RAD levels of theory. Surprisingly, in the cases of a strong Lewis acid (X = H, CH3, F), the spin transfer process from the water–boryl radical to the carbonyl compounds was barrier-free and associated with a dramatic reduction in the B–H bond dissociation energy (BDE) relative to that of isolated water–borane complexes. Examining the coordinates of these reactions revealed that the entire hydrogen atom transfer process is governed by the proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism. Hence, the elucidated mechanism has been applied in the cases of weak Lewis acids (X = NH2, OH), and the variation in the accompanied activation energy was attributed to the stereoelectronic effect interplaying in CO2 and HCOOH compared with HCHO. We ascribed the overall mechanism as a SA-induced five-center cyclic PCET, in which the proton transfers across the so-called complexation-induced hydrogen bond (CIHB) channel, while the SOMOB–LUMOC=O′ interaction is responsible for the electron migration process. Owing to previous reports that interrelate the hydrogen-bonding and the rate of proton-coupled electron-transfer reactions, we postulated that “the rate of the PCET reaction is expected to be promoted by the covalency of the hydrogen bond, and any factor that enhances this covalency could be considered an activator of the PCET process.” This postulate could be considered a good rationale for the lack of a barrier associated with the hydrogen atom transfer from the water-boryl radical system to the carbonyl compounds. Light has been shed on the water–boryl radical reagent from the thermodynamic perspective.

Synthesis and reactions of N-heterocyclic carbene boranes

Boranes are widely used Lewis acids and N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are popular Lewis bases, so it is remarkable how little was known about their derived complexes until recently. NHC-boranes are typically readily accessible and many are so stable that they can be treated like organic compounds rather than complexes. They do not exhibit "borane chemistry", but instead are proving to have a rich chemistry of their own as reactants, as reagents, as initiators, and as catalysts. They have significant potential for use in organic synthesis and in polymer chemistry. They can be used to easily make unusual complexes with a broad spectrum of functional groups not usually seen in organoboron chemistry. Many of their reactions occur through new classes of reactive intermediates including borenium cations, boryl radicals, and even boryl anions. This Review provides comprehensive coverage of the synthesis, characterization, and reactions of NHC-boranes.

New boryl radicals derived from N-heteroaryl boranes: generation and reactivity

Recently, boryl radicals have been the subject of revived interest. These structures were generated by hydrogen-abstraction reactions from the corresponding boranes (i.e., from amine or phosphine boranes). However, the classical issue remains their high B--H bond-dissociation energy (BDE), thereby preventing a very efficient hydrogen-abstraction process. In the present paper, new N-heteroaryl boranes that exhibiting low B--H BDE are presented; excellent hydrogen-transfer properties have been found. Both the generation and the reactivity of the associated boryl radicals have been investigated through their direct observation in laser flash photolysis. The boryl radical interactions with double bonds, oxygen, oxidizing agent, and alkyl halides have been studied. Some selected applications of N-heteroaryl boryl radicals as new polymerization-initiating structures are proposed to evidence their high intrinsic reactivity.

Radical deoxygenation of xanthates and related functional groups with new minimalist N-heterocyclic carbene boranes

Minimalist N-heterocyclic carbene boranes 1,3-dimethylimidazol-2-ylideneborane and 2,4-dimethyl-1,2,4-triazol-3-ylideneborane are readily available and have low molecular weights. They exhibit superior performance to first-generation NHC-boranes, providing improved yields in reductions of xanthates and related functional groups.