Reaction of a P/Al‐Based Frustrated Lewis Pair with Ammonia, Borane, and Amine–Boranes: Adduct Formation and Catalytic Dehydrogenation

Abstract

Open wide! The geminal P/Al-based frustrated Lewis pair (Mes2P)(tBu2Al)CC(H)Ph forms stable Lewis adducts with BH3 and NH3. This compound facilitates the dehydrocoupling of the ammonia–borane adduct by unusual NH bond activation and elimination of dihydrogen at the boron center, and it is a very active main-group-based FLP catalyst for the dehydrogenation of amine–borane H3B⋅NMe2H. Mes=mesityl.