It was found that homoleptic cyclopentadienyl lanthanide complexes CpLn (Ln = Y (1), Yb (2), Sm (3), Nd (4), La (5), Cp = cyclopentadienyl) can be employed as excellent catalysts for the hydroboration of various aldehydes and ketones toward pinacolborane. These robust lanthanide catalysts exhibited high reactivity with low catalyst loadings (0.01-1 mol %) under mild conditions and good functional group tolerability. These complexes also demonstrated uniquely carbonyl-selective hydroboration in the presence of alkenes and alkynes.

Simple and convenient n-BuLi is reported as a highly efficient catalyst in promoting the hydroboration of imines and alkynes.

The overwhelming spread of Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass) over recent decades has put many native plant communities and coastal environments at risk. Therefore, longterm monitoring of S. alterniflora dynamics is necessary to better understand and manage the invasion of the species. However, it is difficult to map Spartina saltmarshes in China on an annual or multiyear epoch basis. To address this issue, we developed a classification approach integrating Google Earth Engine (GEE) and object-based hierarchical random forest (RF) classification, and we applied this approach to quantify the expansion and dieback of S. alterniflora at Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve, Jiangsu, China during 1993-2020. Results showed that the area of S. alterniflora expanded from 24.48 ha in 1993 to 1,564.96 ha in 2010. However, after ecological hydrological engineering and an increase in Elaphures davidianus (Pè re David's deer) numbers in 2011, the S. alterniflora area decreased significantly to 944.28 ha in 2020. During 2011-2020, the S. alterniflora area decreased substantially at a rate of 67 ha per year and by 86% in one area studied in Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve. In 2020, the 944.28 ha of S. alterniflora in the reserve was mainly distributed in mudflats by the sea. Overall, these results show that it is feasible to identify S. alterniflora using the GEE platform and object-based hierarchical RF classification; moreover, this approach could improve understanding and management of this invasion species.

Homoleptic lanthanide complexes coordinated by a Me-substituted Cp ligand [(MeCp)3Ln] demonstrate unprecedentedly high efficiency in catalyzing the hydroboration of aldehydes and ketones with pinacolborane. This protocol is also applicable for the hydroboration of aryl-substituted imines. In addition, broad functional group compatibility and excellent chemoselectivity is also achieved. DFT calculations are employed to shed light on the reaction mechanism.

Herein, we present a facile method for deoxygenative hydroboration of a broad range of carboxylic acids under very mild conditions. The most striking feature of this attractive hydroboration is that this elusive and challenging transformation was realized without catalyst and solvent. The investigation of solvent effect showed that tetrahydrofuran was also suitable for this kind of reaction. Moreover, a successful gram-scale trial may provide a very promising toolkit for carboxylic acid reduction at a large scale.