Organocatalytic nucleophilic pinacolboryl addition from in situ generated MeO(-)→ B(2)pin(2) to C=N double bond can be performed enantioselectively with the aid of chiral phosphines, which promote enantiofacial differentiation in the course of the C-B bond formation.

The use of chiral alcohols to form the Lewis acid-base *RO(-)→ bis(pinacolato)diboron adduct, in situ, provides an opportunity to induce asymmetry in the organocatalytic diboration of alkenes and complements the well established transition metal-mediated enantioselective diboration.

It has been demonstrated that the interaction of a simple Lewis base with tetraalkoxydiboranes generates an unusual nucleophilic character in one of the boryl moieties. The interaction of amines, N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), and alkoxides with a diboron reagent results in the formation of a Lewis acid–base adduct, in which the formally intact sp2 boryl moiety becomes nucleophilic. We describe in this work the application of this new type of nucleophilic boron synthon in the selective preparation of organoboranes through β-boration and diboration reactions.

Piece of the (inter)action: The interaction of alkoxides with the sp(2) Bpin (pin=pinacol) moiety in aminoboranes forms the in situ Lewis acid-base adduct [RO(-) →B(OR)2 N(R')2 ] which enables the amino moiety to react as a strong nucleophile with several electrophiles, thus providing amino alcohols, β-enamino esters, and β-hydroxy amides in a direct and remarkably selective way.

A one-pot synthesis of chiral amino alcohols from R,β-unsaturated aldehydes is reported which circumvents competitive 1,2-versus 1,4-boryl addition, by means of using a sterically hindered amine-derived imine. In addition to the complete chemoselectivity, modification of the Cu(I) catalyst with readily available chiral diphosphines, such as (R)-DM-BINAP, gave the 1,4-boryl addition products with high levels of asymmetric induction.