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Synlett 2007(19): 3075-3076  
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-990873
SPOTLIGHT
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Borane - A Mild, Selective, and Convenient Reducing Agent

Biank T. Gonçalves*
PXQ Med, Polo de Xistoquímica, Departamento de Química Orgânica, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21945-970 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
e-Mail: E-mail: biank@iq.ufrj.br;
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Publication History

Publication Date:
12 November 2007 (online)

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Introduction

Borane is a powerful, selective, and mild reducing agent with characteristics frequently different from the so-called nucleophilic hydrides. Due to its broad use in organic synthesis for the reduction of amides, nitriles, carboxylic acids and esters, nitroalkenes, ketones, for the hydroboration of alkenes and the reductive cleavage of allyl ethers, borane is commercially available in various forms (e.g., BH3·THF, BH3·SMe2, and BH3·NR3).

Since its initial use in synthesis by H. C. Brown, [1] several applications of this reactant and its derivatives in diverse chemistry fields have been published. [2] Actually, advances in borane thermal properties and stability, [3] asymmetric reduction using borane in situ, [4] and kinetic and mechanistic studies [5] are successfully reported in the literature.