Hydroboration electrophilic character

The electrophilic character of boron is again evident when we consider the oxida tion of organoboranes In the oxidation phase of the hydroboration-oxidation sequence as presented m Figure 6 11 the conjugate base of hydrogen peroxide attacks boron Hydroperoxide ion is formed m an acid-base reaction m step 1 and attacks boron m step 2 The empty 2p orbital of boron makes it electrophilic and permits nucleophilic reagents such as HOO to add to it... 

In all cases the boron goes to the side of the double bond that has more hydrogens, whether the substituents are aryl or alkyl.35B Thus the reaction of 43 with BH3 gives 98% 44 and only 2% of the other product. This actually follows Markovnikov s rule, since boron is more positive than hydrogen. However, the regioselectivity is caused mostly by steric factors, though electronic factors also play a part. Studies of the effect of ring substituents on rates and on the direction of attack in hydroboration of substituted styrenes showed that the attack by boron has electrophilic character.359 When both sides of the double bond are... 

The boron and hydrogen atom add to the same face of the double bond. The resulting product has the groups cis to each other. The dotted lines represent bonds formed and broken in the transition state of the concerted reaction. In summation, two properties of BH3, the electrophilic character of the boron atom and the hydride character of the hydrogen atom, account for Markovnikov addition of BH3 to alkenes. The regioselectivity also reflects some steric control in which the boron adds to the less substimted carbon atom. Figure 15.1 shows the transition state for hydroboration in greater detail. 

Computational studies of both hydroalumination and carboalumination have indicated a four-center TS for the addition.220 The aluminum reagents, however, have more nucleophilic character than do boranes. Whereas the TS for hydroboration is primarily electrophilic and resembles that for attack of CH3+ on a double bond, the... 

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