Alkoxycarbonylations
are important and versatile reactions that
result in the formation of a new C–C bond. Herein, we report
on a new and halide-free alkoxycarbonylation reaction that does not
require the application of an external carbon monoxide atmosphere.
Instead, manganese carbonyl complexes and organo(alkoxy)borate salts
react to form an ester product containing the target C–C bond.
The required organo(alkoxy)borate salts are conveniently generated
from the stoichiometric reaction of an organoborane and an alkoxide
salt and can be telescoped without purification. The protocol leads
to the formation of both aromatic and aliphatic esters and gives complete
control over the ester’s substitution (e.g., OMe, O
t
Bu, OPh). A reaction mechanism was proposed on the
basis of stoichiometric reactivity studies, spectroscopy, and DFT
calculations. The new chemistry is particularly relevant for the field
of Mn(I) catalysis and clearly points to a potential pathway toward
irreversible catalyst deactivation.