Synthesis of Lithium Boracarbonate Ion Pairs by Copper-Catalyzed Multi-Component Coupling of Carbon Dioxide, Diboron, and Aldehydes.

The catalytic selective multi-component coupling of CO2 , bis(pinacolato)diboron, LiOtBu, and a wide range of aldehydes has been achieved for the first time by using an NHC-copper catalyst. This transformation has efficiently afforded a series of novel lithium cyclic boracarbonate ion pair compounds in high yields from readily available starting materials. This protocol has not only provided a new catalytic process for the utilization of CO2 , but it has also constituted a novel route for the efficient synthesis of a new class of lithium borate compounds that might be of interest as potential electrolyte candidates for lithium ion batteries.

Catalytic boracarboxylation of alkynes with diborane and carbon dioxide by an N-heterocyclic carbene copper catalyst.

By the use of an N-heterocyclic carbene copper(I) complex as a catalyst, the boracarboxylation of various alkynes (e.g., diaryl alkynes, aryl/alkyl alkynes, and phenylacetylene) with a diborane compound and carbon dioxide has been achieved for the first time, affording the α,β-unsaturated β-boralactone derivatives regio- and stereoselectively via a borylcupration/carboxylation cascade.