Unprecedented Borane, Diborane(3), Diborene, and Borylene Ligands via Pt-Mediated Borane Dehydrogenation

Reactions
of an aryldihydroborane with a Pt0 complex
lead to a range of novel products, including complexes with bridging
diborene and diborane(3) ligands and a complex with both borylene
and borane (M → B) ligands. The products imply varying degrees
of dehydrogenation of the boron centers with concomitant formation
of boron–boron bonds, which in one case is later broken. These
reactions show that although the dehydrocoupling of dihydroboranes
is not a straightforward process in this case, the reactions are capable
of connecting boron atoms in unusual ways, leading to unprecedented
bonding motifs.