Heterolytic Dihydrogen Activation by a Frustrated Carbene–Borane Lewis Pair

Abstract

Relief from frustration: The sterically demanding carbene 1,3-di-tert-butylimidazolin-2-ylidene and B(C6F5)3, a “frustrated” Lewis pair, is a viable system for the activation of CO, HH, and CH bonds. However, slow rearrangement to an abnormal carbene–borane adduct allows the irreversible formation of a strong BC bond and enables this system to circumvent frustration at the expense of its activity. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2002/2008/z802705_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.