It is ac urrent trend to explore multi-bonded and unsaturated main group compounds that can interact with small molecules,inorder to find non-metal catalysts.Notably, Braunschweig et al. found that diboryne stabilized by Nheterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) can bind and activate CO.Here we explore the bonding nature of B 2 (NHC) 2 and its activation mechanism for CO from anovel theoretical perspective.While the ground state of B 2 is of as ingle bond, the approach of NHCs excites B 2 to its thirde xcited state of atriple bond with two significant s-holes at the two ends.T he subsequent electrostatic attraction drives the formation of B 2 (NHC) 2 . However,only one of the two p bonds (HOMOs) of B 2 (NHC) 2 fits to one of the degenerate LUMOs of CO.I nterestingly,t he strong steric repulsion between CO and B 2 (NHC) 2 leads to the HOMO-LUMO swap in the latter.S ubsequently,b oth HOMO and HOMOÀ1o fB 2 (NHC) 2 can effectively interact with the two p*a nti-bonding orbitals (LUMO and LUMO + 1) of CO,r esulting in substantial electron back-donation and the ultimate activation of CO.