title: N-Heterocyclic carbene boranes are good hydride donors.
abstract: The nucleophilicity parameters (N) of 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene borane and 1,3-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene borane are 9.55 and 11.88. This places N-heterocyclic carbene boranes (NHC-boranes) among the most nucleophilic classes of neutral hydride donors. Reductions of highly electron-poor C═N and C═C bonds provide hydrogenation products along with new, stable borylated products. The results suggest that NHC-boranes have considerable untapped potential as neutral organic reductants.
authors.affiliation: Department Chemie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5-13, D-81377 München, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horn
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mayr
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lacôte
authors.forename: Everett
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Merling
authors.forename: Jordan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deaner
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McFadden
authors.forename: Dennis P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Curran