Transition-Metal-Like Behavior of Monovalent Boron Compounds: Reduction, Migration, and Complete Cleavage of CO at a Boron Center.

The borylene-carbonyl moiety in [bis(silylene)B(CO)][WBr(CO)5 ] shows diverse reactivity. Reduction, migration, and complete cleavage of CO have been observed at the boron center, leading to the formation of new types of borylenes. These reactions not only serve as new methods for the synthesis of various stable borylenes, but also demonstrate that main-group-element compounds can mimic the behavior of transition-metal complexes.