BORON CATALYSIS. Metal-free Catalytic C-H Bond Activation and Borylation of Heteroarenes

Transition metal complexes are efficient catalysts for the C-H bond functionalization of heteroarenes to generate useful products for the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. However, the costly need to remove potentially toxic trace metals from the end products has prompted great interest in developing metal-free catalysts that can mimic metallic systems. We demonstrated that the borane (1-TMP-2-BH2-C6H4)2 (TMP, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine) can activate the C-H bonds of heteroarenes and catalyze the borylation of furans, pyrroles, and electron-rich thiophenes. The selectivities complement those observed with most transition metal catalysts reported for this transformation.