Migratory insertion of monoborane into the uranium–carbon σ-bond of tricyclopentadienyl(alkyl)uranium(IV) complexes

Abstract

U(cp)₃R (cp =η⁵-cyclopentadienyl, R = Me or Et) reacts in toluene solution at room temperature with a number of appropriately labile adducts L·BH₃(L = BH₃, tetrahydrofuran or Me₂S) to give U(cp)₃BH₄via the non-isolable, but spectroscopically well identified, primary insertion product U(cp)₃(H₃BR); evidence of a corresponding, rather effective, insertion of the resulting BH₂R unit into U–C bond is also apparent.