N‐Heterocyclic Carbene‐Assisted Reversible Migratory Coupling of Aminoborane at Magnesium

Abstract

A combined synthetic and theoretical investigation of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) adducts of magnesium amidoboranes is presented, which involves a rare example of reversible migratory insertion within a normal valent s-block element. The reaction of (NHC)Mg(N(SiMe3 )2 )2 (1) and dimethylamine borane yields the tris(amide) adduct (NHC-BN)Mg(NMe2 BH3 )(N(SiMe3 )2 ) (2; NHC-BN = NHC-BH2 NMe2 ). In addition to Me2 N=BH2 capture at the NHC C-Mg bond, mechanistic investigations suggest the likelihood of aminoborane migratory insertion from an RMg(NMe2 BH2 NMe2 BH3 ) intermediate. To elucidate these processes, the carbene complexes (NHC)Mg(NMe2 BH3 )2 (8) and (NHC)Mg(NMe2 BH2 NMe2 BH3 )2 (9) were synthesized, and a dynamic migration of Me2 N=BH2 between Mg-N and NHC C-Mg bonds was observed in 9. This unusual reversible migratory insertion is presumably induced by dissimilar charge localization in the - {NMe2 BH2 NMe2 BH3 } anion, as well as the capacity of NHCs to reversibly capture Me2 N=BH2 in the presence of Lewis acidic magnesium species.