Hydroboration of Alkynes Catalyzed by Pyrrolide-Based PNP Pincer–Iron Complexes

To utilize iron complexes as catalysts, the application of a well-designed ligand is critical to control the reactivity of the iron center. Recently, our group has succeeded in the synthesis of iron complexes bearing a pyrrolide-based PNP pincer ligand and their application to the catalytic transformation of dinitrogen into ammonia under mild reaction conditions. As an extensive study, we report the iron-catalyzed hydroboration of alkynes with pinacolborane, where the corresponding E-isomers are obtained selectively.