Ambiphilic boryl groups in a neutral Ni(ii) complex: a new activation mode of H₂.

ABSTRACT: The concept of metal-ligand cooperation opens new avenues for the design of catalytic systems that may offer alternative reactivity patterns to the existing ones. Investigations of this concept with ligands bearing a boron center in their skeleton established mechanistic pathways for the activation of small molecules in which the boron atom usually performs as an electrophile. Here, we show how this electrophilic behavior can be modified by the ligand trans to the boron center, evincing its ambiphilic nature. Treatment of diphosphinoboryl (PBP) nickel-methyl complex 1 with bis(catecholato)diboron (B₂Cat₂) allows for the synthesis of nickel(ii) bis-boryl complex 3 that promotes the clean and reversible heterolytic cleavage of dihydrogen leading to

SUBMITTER: Rios P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8179274 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature