Homogeneous CO hydrogenation: dihydrogen activation involves a frustrated Lewis pair instead of a platinum complex.
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.
Miller
Alexander J M
AJ
Arnold and Mabel Beckman Laboratories of Chemical Synthesis, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
Labinger
Jay A
JA
Bercaw
John E
JE