Boron-boron single bonds mimicking transition metals
This review article deals with a special transition-metal-like reactivity of ambiphilic (electrophilic and nucleophilic) diborane molecules with a B-B single bond, namely the ability to coordinate a substrate and reduce it in their coordination sphere with the electrons from the B-B bond. Specially...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Aug 2025
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| In: |
European journal of inorganic chemistry
Year: 2025, Volume: 28, Issue: 23, Pages: 1-38 |
| ISSN: | 1099-0682 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ejic.202500214 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1002/ejic.202500214 Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejic.202500214 
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| Author Notes: | Hans-Jörg Himmel |
| Summary: | This review article deals with a special transition-metal-like reactivity of ambiphilic (electrophilic and nucleophilic) diborane molecules with a B-B single bond, namely the ability to coordinate a substrate and reduce it in their coordination sphere with the electrons from the B-B bond. Specially designed diboranes are synthesized for this purpose, being Lewis-acidic at boron and at the same time providing a filled B-B bond orbital of high energy, from which electrons could be transferred to the substrate. A fine tuning of the substituents at the boron is required to balance the ambiphilic (electrophilic and nucleophilic) properties of the diborane. Moreover, diborane stability is an important issue for larger-scale applications, since strongly electrophilic diboranes are generally air sensitive. The discussion in the last sections focuses on diboranes with guanidinate substituents. These diboranes are air-stable and easy-to-handle sources of ambiphilic cationic diboranes and are efficiently synthesized by B-B dehydrocoupling reactions. They are particularly suitable for processes in which substrate coordination and electron transfer proceed in two separate steps. The development of a transition-metal-like reactivity with stable, easy-to-handle diboranes paves the way to widen the applications of diboranes for further applications in synthetic chemistry. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 08.12.2025 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1099-0682 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ejic.202500214 |