Unprecedented Borane, Diborane(3), Diborene, and Borylene Ligands via Pt-Mediated Borane Dehydrogenation

Reactions of an aryldihydroborane with a Pt⁰ complex lead to a range of novel products, including complexes with bridging diborene and diborane(3) ligands and a complex with both borylene and borane (M → B) ligands. The products imply varying degrees of dehydrogenation of the boron centers with concomitant formation of boron–boron bonds, which in one case is later broken. These reactions show that although the dehydrocoupling of dihydroboranes is not a straightforward process in this case, the reactions are capable of connecting boron atoms in unusual ways, leading to unprecedented bonding motifs.