Recent developments in bisdiborane chemistry:: B-C-B, B-C-C-B, B-C=C-B and B-CC-B compounds

An overview of the development of new strategies in organic synthesis with a minimum of chemical steps is becoming increasingly necessary for the efficient assembly of complex molecular structures. Therefore, the combination of multiple reactions in a single operation represents a particularly efficient approach. Among these strategies, the synthesis and reactivity of bisdiboranes has never been reviewed although its popularity for the synthesis of complex architectural molecules has been steadily increasing during the last decade. This review is intended to highlight the use of partly geminated boranes (B-C-B), and also bisdiborane reagents (B-C-C-B, B-C=C-B, B-C=C-B). Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.