A dual site catalyst for mild, selective nitrile reduction.

We report a novel ruthenium bis(pyrazolyl)borate scaffold that enables cooperative reduction reactivity in which boron and ruthenium centers work in concert to effect selective nitrile reduction. The pre-catalyst compound [κ(3)-(1-pz)2HB(N = CHCH3)]Ru(cymene)(+) TfO(-) (pz = pyrazolyl) was synthesized using readily-available materials through a straightforward route, thus making it an appealing catalyst for a number of reactions.