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1. MIDA‐ and TIDA‐Boronates Stabilize α‐Radicals Through B−N Hyperconjugation

   https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202309566  

   LaPorte, Antonio J.; Feldner, Jack E.; Spies, Jan C.; Maher, Tom J.; Burke, Martin D. (August 2023, Angewandte Chemie International Edition)

   Abstract Multifunctional organoboron compounds increasingly enable the simple generation of complex, Csp³‐rich small molecules. The ability of boron‐containing functional groups to modify the reactivity of α‐radicals has also enabled a myriad of chemical reactions. Boronic esters with vacant p‐orbitals have a significant stabilizing effect on α‐radicals due to delocalization of spin density into the empty orbital. The effect of coordinatively saturated derivatives, such as N‐methyliminodiacetic acid (MIDA) boronates and counterparts, remains less clear. Herein, we demonstrate that coordinatively saturated MIDA and TIDA boronates stabilize secondary alkyl α‐radicals via σ_B‐Nhyperconjugation in a manner that allows site‐selective C−H bromination. DFT calculated radical stabilization energies and spin density maps as well as LED NMR kinetic analysis of photochemical bromination rates of different boronic esters further these findings. This work clarifies that the α‐radical stabilizing effect of boronic esters does not only proceed via delocalization of radical character into vacant boron p‐orbitals, but that hyperconjugation of tetrahedral boron‐containing functional groups and their ligand electron delocalizing ability also play a critical role. These findings establish boron ligands as a useful dial for tuning reactivity at the α‐carbon. 

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2. Palladium-Catalyzed Aerobic Alkene Arylboration: Coupling Aryl Boronic Acids, Alkenes, and Bis(pinacol)diboron

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.5c03926  

   Pham, Hoang_T P; Bhatt, Shreeja; Hull, Kami L (August 2025, ACS Catalysis)

   Alkyl boronic acids and esters are versatile synthetic intermediates that generally require several steps to synthesize. Three-component alkene arylboration reactions allow for the rapid synthesis of alkyl boronic esters. Herein, we report the base-free aerobic Pd-catalyzed three-component alkene arylboration, which allows direct access, in a single step, to alkyl boronic esters from readily available precursors: aryl boronic acids, alkenes, and bis(pinacol)diboron. This approach allows for the formal insertion of an alkene into an Ar–B bond, and thus, generates an alkyl boronic ester from an aryl boronic acid. The reaction proceeds with both electron-rich and electron-deficient aryl boronic acids as well as strained cyclic, internal, and terminal olefins. The reactions are regioselective: 1,2-arylboration products are formed with strained cyclic alkenes and b-alkyl-styrenes while 1,1-arylboration products are generated from terminal alkenes. Forty-five examples are presented with isolated yields of the resulting alkyl boronic esters ranging from 20-74%, along with several examples demonstrating the synthetic utility of the products. Mechanistic investigations support that the catalytic cycle occurs through direct arylboration of the alkene. Further, p-benzyl intermediates form when possible, and the rate of borylation is increased with electron-rich arenes relative to electron-poor. Finally, we demonstrate that aryl boroxines, generated in situ, are essential for the transformation as they rapidly undergo base-free transmetalation with the proposed palladium peroxo intermediate. 

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3. Stereospecific and Regioselective Synthesis of E -Allylic Alcohols through Reductive Cross Coupling of Terminal Alkynes

   https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.3c06963  

   Shaff, Austin B; Yang, Langxuan; Lee, Mitchell T; Lalic, Gojko (November 2023, Journal of the American Chemical Society)

   We have developed a convergent method for the synthesis of allylic alcohols that involves a reductive coupling of terminal alkynes with α-chloro boronic esters. The new method affords allylic alcohols with excellent regioselectivity (anti-Markovnikov) and an E/Z ratio greater than 200:1. The reaction can be performed in the presence of a wide range of functional groups and has a substrate scope that complements the stoichiometric alkenylation of α-chloro boronic esters performed using alkenyl lithium and Grignard reagents. The transformation is stereospecific and allows for the robust and highly selective synthesis of chiral allylic alcohols. Our studies support a mechanism that involves hydrocupration of the alkyne and cross-coupling of the alkenyl copper intermediate with α-chloro boronic esters. Experimental evidence excludes a radical mechanism of the cross-coupling step and is consistent with the formation of a boron-ate intermediate and a 1,2-metalate shift. 

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4. Synthesis of Dihydropyrazoles via Palladium‐Catalyzed Cascade Heterocyclization/Carbonylation/Arylation of β,γ‐Unsaturated N ‐Tosyl Hydrazones

   https://doi.org/10.1002/adsc.202301326  

   Dantas, Juliana_A; Hardy, Melissa_A; Costa, Mateus_O; De_Oliveira, Camila_P; Cabral, Tadeu_L_G; Tormena, Claudio_Francisco; Sigman, Matthew_S; Ferreira, Marco_A_B (December 2023, Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis)

   Abstract A Pd‐catalyzed heterocyclization/carbonylation/arylation cascade reaction between β,γ‐unsaturated N−Ts hydrazones and commercially available arylboronic acids as coupling partners is described, producing 2‐pyrazoline‐ketone derivatives in 11–78% yield. A detailed statistical analysis of reactivity patterns of boronic acids provided key information about the limitations of the method, highlighting the challenges of degradation pathways. Our methodology offers a tool for synthesizing diverse 2‐pyrazoline‐ketone derivatives, expanding the toolbox of accessible N−N‐heterocycles. 

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5. Solid-state ¹¹ B NMR studies of coinage metal complexes containing a phosphine substituted diboraanthracene ligand

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d1dt02981a  

   Huynh, Winn; Taylor, Jordan W.; Harman, W. Hill; Conley, Matthew P. (October 2021, Dalton Transactions)

   Transition metal interactions with Lewis acids (M → Z linkages) are fundamentally interesting and practically important. The most common Z-type ligands contain boron, which contains an NMR active 11 B nucleus. We measured solid-state 11 B{ 1 H} NMR spectra of copper, silver, and gold complexes containing a phosphine substituted 9,10-diboraanthracene ligand (B 2 P 2 ) that contain planar boron centers and weak M → BR 3 linkages ([(B 2 P 2 )M][BAr F 4 ] (M = Cu (1), Ag (2), Au (3)) characterized by large quadrupolar coupling ( C Q ) values (4.4–4.7 MHz) and large span ( Ω ) values (93–139 ppm). However, the solid-state 11 B{ 1 H} NMR spectrum of K[Au(B 2 P 2 )] − (4), which contains tetrahedral borons, is narrow and characterized by small C Q and Ω values. DFT analysis of 1–4 shows that C Q and Ω are expected to be large for planar boron environments and small for tetrahedral boron, and that the presence of a M → BR 3 linkage relates to the reduction in C Q and 11 B NMR shielding properties. Thus solid-state 11 B NMR spectroscopy contains valuable information about M → BR 3 linkages in complexes containing the B 2 P 2 ligand. 

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