Dedication to Prof. Weisheng Tian on the occasion of his 70th birthdayOrganoboron compounds are versatile synthons in synthetic chemistry, materials science, and medicinal chemistry. The preparation of them often requires either reactive organometallic reagents or transition metals. In recent years, transition-metal-free borylation methodologies using radical chemistry for CÀ B bond formation have attracted much attention and developed rapidly, which circumvents the use of preformed organometallic reagents. Various successful ap-proaches from different radical precursors (such as carboxylic acids, amines and alcohols, which are abundant in nature) through either thermochemical, photochemical or electrochemical pathways have been developed. Therefore, in this review, we hope to provide an overview of recent advances in the discovery, development, and mechanistic study of transitionmetal-free radical borylation processes.
Borylation of CÀ N BondsAmines are cheap, widely commercially available, and are abundant in drugs and natural products. Thus, transforming readily available amines and amine derivatives into valuable boronic esters will be of great use.