title: Insertion of reactive rhodium carbenes into boron-hydrogen bonds of stable N-heterocyclic carbene boranes.
abstract: Readily available rhodium(II) salts catalyze reactions between NHC-boranes (NHC-BH3) and diazocarbonyl compounds (N2CRCOR'). Stable α-NHC-boryl carbonyl compounds (NHC-BH2-CHRCOR') are isolated in good yields. The reaction is a reliable way to make boron-carbon bonds with good tolerance for variation in both the NHC-borane and diazocarbonyl components. It presumably occurs by insertion of a transient rhodium carbene into a boron-hydrogen bond of the NHC-borane. Competitive experiments show that a typical NHC-borane is highly reactive toward rhodium carbenes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA.
authors.forename: Xiben
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dennis P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Curran