William Clegg, Thorsten R. F. Johann, Todd B. Marder, Nicholas C. Norman, A. Guy Orpen, Torren M. Peakman, Michael J. Quayle, Craig R. Rice and Andrew J. Scott
The chiral diborane(4) compounds B2[R,R-O2CH(CO2Me)CH(CO2Me)]2, B2(S-O2CH2CHPh)2, B2(R,R-O2CHPhCHPh)2 and B2(O2C20H12)2 (O2C20H12 = 1,7′-bi-2-naphtholate) have been synthesized. All four compounds have been characterised by X-ray crystallography, the latter as a racemate. The B–B bond oxidative-addition reactions of the first three compounds with [Pt(PPh3)2(η-C2H4)] resulted in the platinum(II) bis(boryl) complexes cis-[Pt(PPh3)2{B[R,R-O2CH(CO2Me)CH(CO2Me)]}2], cis-[Pt(PPh3)2{B(S-O2CH2CHPh)}2] and cis-[Pt(PPh3)2{B(R,R-O2CHPhCHPh)}2]; the former two were also characterised by X-ray crystallography. The platinum-catalysed diborations of a range of prochiral 1,3-dienes with the compounds B2[R,R-O2CH(CO2Me)CH(CO2Me)]2, B2(S-O2CH2CHPh)2 and B2(R,R-O2CHPhCHPh)2 were studied. Although these reactions were clean and quantitative, observed product d.e.s (measured by 1H NMR spectroscopy) were low or non-existent indicating that chirality transfer from the diborane(4) diolate groups to the diene diboration product is not efficient in these cases.