title: Homogeneous CO hydrogenation: dihydrogen activation involves a frustrated Lewis pair instead of a platinum complex.
abstract: During a search for conditions appropriate for Pt-catalyzed CO reduction using dihydrogen directly, metal-free conditions were discovered instead. A bulky, strong phosphazene base forms a "frustrated" Lewis pair (FLP) with a trialkylborane in the secondary coordination sphere of a rhenium carbonyl. Treatment of the FLP with dihydrogen cleanly affords multiple hydride transfers and C-C bond formation.
authors.affiliation: Arnold and Mabel Beckman Laboratories of Chemical Synthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander J M
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Jay A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Labinger
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bercaw