Reactivity Enhancement of a Zerovalent Diboron Compound by Desymmetrization.

The desymmetrization of the cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene-supported diboracumulene B2(cAACMe)2 (cAACMe = 1-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3,3,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidin-2-ylidene) by monoadduct formation with IMeMe (1,3-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene) yields the zerovalent sp-sp2 diboron compound B2(cAACMe)2(IMeMe), which provides a versatile platform for the synthesis of novel symmetrical and unsymmetrical zerovalent sp2-sp2 diboron compounds by adduct formation with IMeMe and CO, respectively. Furthermore, B2(cAACMe)2(IMeMe) displays enhanced reactivity compared to its symmetrical precursor, undergoing spontaneous intramolecular C-H activation and facile twofold hydrogenation, the latter resulting in B-B bond cleavage and the formation of the mixed-base parent borylene (cAACMe)(IMeMe)BH.