title: The synthesis and structure of a carbene-stabilized iminocarboranyl-boron(I) compound.
abstract: A carbene-stabilized iminocarboranylboron(I) compound has been synthesized and structurally characterized. Single-crystal X-ray analyses and DFT calculations show that the π back donation of the lone pair of electrons on the boron(I) center onto the π* orbital of the imine unit is crucial for removing the electron density of the boron center thereby stabilizing such species, in which the carbene serves solely as a σ donor. This work also demonstrates that imines play a similar role to that of carbenes in the stabilization of low valent boron compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N. T., Hong Kong, China. zxie@cuhk.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jiji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhenyang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Zuowei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xie