Substrate-controlled highly diastereoselective synthesis of primary and secondary diorganozinc reagents by hydroboration/boron-zinc exchange sequence.

The scope of substrate-controlled diastereoselective hydroborations can be considerably enhanced by a boron-zinc exchange reaction, providing organozinc derivatives that react with a broad range of electrophiles. Even normally unreactive boronic esters, obtained by Rh-catalyzed hydroboration with catecholborane, react readily with iPr2Zn providing the corresponding zinc reagents in high diastereoselectivity.