Borane reactivity

AAHeterocyclic carbene-borane complexes have been shown to be useful as hydrogen sources through radical mechanisms, as Chu et al [85] determined after their initial work with the reduction of xanthates mentioned earlier. Also, substituted imidazol-2-ylidene and triazol-3-ylidenes have been employed in the reduction of dodecyl iodide to dodecane without the addition of any radical initiator. Furthermore, even in the presence of usually borane-reactive species, such as ketones or alkenes, the reduction of the alkyl halide is the only reaction observed. Later, however, Ueng et al foimd that alkyl halides with nearby... 

A more convenient hydroboratmg agent is the borane-tetrahydrofuran complex (H3B THF) It IS very reactive adding to alkenes within minutes at 0°C and is used m tetrahydrofuran as the solvent... 

Retardation of the reaction rate by the addition of dimethyl sulfide is in accord with this mechanism. Borane—amine complexes and the dibromoborane—dimethyl sulfide complex react similarly (43). Dimeric diaLkylboranes initially dissociate (at rate to the monomers subsequentiy reacting with an olefin at rate (44). For highly reactive olefins > k - (recombination) and the reaction is first-order in the dimer. For slowly reacting olefins k - > and the reaction shows 0.5 order in the dimer. 

Mono- and diaLkylboranes obtained by controlled hydroboration of hindered olefins and by other methods can serve as valuable hydroborating agents for more reactive olefins. Heterosubstituted boranes are also available and used for this purpose. These borane derivatives show differences in reactivity and selectivity. 

The products are Hquids, soluble in various solvents and stable over prolonged periods. Monochloroborane is an equiUbtium mixture containing small amounts of borane and dichloroborane complexes with dimethyl sulfide (81). Monobromoborane—dimethyl sulfide complex shows high purity (82,83). Solutions of monochloroborane in tetrahydrofuran and diethyl ether can also be prepared. Strong complexation renders hydroboration with monochloroborane in tetrahydrofuran sluggish and inconvenient. Monochloroborane solutions in less complexing diethyl ether, an equiUbtium with small amounts of borane and dichloroborane, show excellent reactivity (88,89). Monochloroborane—diethyl etherate [36594-41-9] (10) may be represented as H2BCI O... 

Dibromoborane—dimethyl sulfide is a more convenient reagent. It reacts directly with alkenes and alkynes to give the corresponding alkyl- and alkenyldibromoboranes (120—123). Dibromoborane differentiates between alkenes and alkynes hydroborating internal alkynes preferentially to terminal double and triple bonds (123). Unlike other substituted boranes it is more reactive toward 1,1-disubstituted than monosubstituted alkenes (124). 

Table 1. Reactivities of Representative Functional Groups Toward Selected Boranes ...

The reactions of trialkylboranes with bromine and iodine are gready accelerated by bases. The use of sodium methoxide in methanol gives good yields of the corresponding alkyl bromides or iodides. AH three primary alkyl groups are utilized in the bromination reaction and only two in the iodination reaction. Secondary groups are less reactive and the yields are lower. Both Br and I reactions proceed with predominant inversion of configuration thus, for example, tri( X(9-2-norbomyl)borane yields >75% endo product (237,238). In contrast, the dark reaction of bromine with tri( X(9-2-norbomyl)borane yields cleanly X(9-2-norbomyl bromide (239). Consequentiy, the dark bromination complements the base-induced bromination. 

The addition proceeds in three discrete steps and the intermediates can be isolated. Simple alkenes are less reactive than alkynes and do not undergo the addition to aHylic boranes, but electron-rich alkyl vinyl ethers react at moderate temperatures to give 1,4-dienes or dienyl alcohols (440). 

Vinylboranes are interesting dienophiles in the Diels-Alder reaction. Alkenylboronic esters show moderate reactivity and give mixtures of exo and endo adducts with cyclopentadiene and 1,3-cyclohexadiene (441). Dichloroalkenylboranes are more reactive and dialkylalkenylboranes react even at room temperature (442—444). Dialkylalkenylboranes are omniphilic dienophiles insensitive to diene substitution (444). In situ formation of vinyl-boranes by transmetaHation of bromodialkylboranes with vinyl tri alkyl tin compounds makes possible a one-pot reaction, avoiding isolation of the intermediate vinylboranes (443). Other cycloadditions of alkenyl- and alkynylboranes are known (445). 

This works well for all nido- and arachno-boranes but not for the c/o o-dianions, which are much less reactive. Reactions of B2H6 with NH3 are complex and, depending on the conditions, yield aminodiborane, H2B(/r-H)(/r-NH2)BH2, or the diammoniate of diborane, [BH2(NH3)2]-[BH4] (p. 165) at higher temperatures the benzene analogue borazine, (HNBH)3, results (see p. 210). 

Similarly, reaction of B6H10 with Fe2(CO)9 (p. 1 104) at room temperature results in the smooth elimination of Fe(CO)s to form [Fe(r -B6Hio)(CO)4] as a. stable, volatile yellow solid. Use of these electron-donor propcities of B(,H o towards reactive (vacant orbital) borane radicals resulted in the preparation of several new coti/uncm-boranes. e.g. BnHiy, BuHji and B15H23 (p. 162),... 

The perception by R. Schaeffer that nido-BeHjo (stmcture 10, pp. 154, 159) could act as a Lewis base towards reactive (vacant orbital) borance radicals has led to several new conjucto-boranes, e.g. ... 

Boranes are extremely reactive compounds and several are spontaneously flammable in air. Arac/tno-boranes tend to be more reactive (and less stable to thermal decomposition) than niiio-boranes and reactivity also diminishes with increasing mol wt. C/oio-borane anions are exceptionally stable and their general chemical behaviour has suggested the term three-dimensional aromaticity . 

Calculate activation energies for the preferred addition mode of each reagent. (Data for borane, 9-BBN and cis-4-methylpent-2-ene are available.) Which reaction will be faster Is the faster reaction more or less regioselective than the slower reaction Compare the structures of the two transition states and identify specific interactions that can account for differences in regioselectivity and reactivity. Use space-filling models. 

Among the many chiral Lewis acid catalysts described so far, not many practical catalysts meet these criteria. For a,/ -unsaturated aldehydes, Corey s tryptophan-derived borane catalyst 4, and Yamamoto s CBA and BLA catalysts 3, 7, and 8 are excellent. Narasaka s chiral titanium catalyst 31 and Evans s chiral copper catalyst 24 are outstanding chiral Lewis acid catalysts of the reaction of 3-alkenoyl-l,2-oxazolidin-2-one as dienophile. These chiral Lewis acid catalysts have wide scope and generality compared with the others, as shown in their application to natural product syntheses. They are, however, still not perfect catalysts. We need to continue the endeavor to seek better catalysts which are more reactive, more selective, and have wider applicability. 

Since borane BH3 reacts with only one or two equivalents of a sterically hindered alkene, it is possible to prepare less reactive and more selective borane reagents R2BH and RBH2 respectively. In addition to disiamylborane 8 and thexylbo-rane 10, the 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (9-BBN) 14 is an important reagent for hydroboration, since it is stable to air it is prepared by addition of borane 2 to cycloocta-1,5-diene 13 ... 

Borane is very reactive because the boron atom has only six electrons in its valence shell. In tetrahydrofuran solution, BH3 accepts an electron pair from a solvent molecule in a Lewis acid-base reaction to complete its octet and form a stable BH3-THF complex. 

The boranes are an extensive series of highly reactive electron-deficient binary... 

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