Activation of the Si-B Interelement Bond: Mechanism, Catalysis, and Synthesis

Si-B (silicon-boron) chemistry has rapidly grown into an independent area of synthetic main group chemistry. The selective incorporation of both a silicon and a boron atom into an unsaturated molecule in a single synthetic operation is valuable as both newly formed functional groups are extraordinarily versatile linchpins for subsequent (mainly) C-C bond formation. Creative application of the transition metal-catalyzed Si-B bond activation to various classes of unsaturated compounds combined with subtle effects of the ligand or other additives provided unique regio- and diastereo divergent as well as regio and stereoselective accesses to difunctional building blocks. With copper as the transition metal, the net monofunctionalization resembles the chemistry of silicon-based cuprates catalytic in copper, and similar reactivity and selectivity are seen for several acceptors. As to asymmetric transformations, Si-B chemistry is superior to existing methods.