Catalytic redistribution and polymerization of diborazanes: unexpected observation of metal-free hydrogen transfer between aminoboranes and amine-boranes

Ir-catalyzed (20 °C) or thermal (70 °C) dehydrocoupling of the linear diborazane MeNH(2)-BH(2)-NHMe-BH(3) led to the formation of poly- or oligoaminoboranes MeNH-BH(2)](x) (x = 3 to >1000) via an initial redistribution process that forms MeNH(2)·BH(3) and also transient MeNH═BH(2), which exists in the predominantly metal-bound and free forms, respectively. Studies of analogous chemistry led to the discovery of metal-free hydrogenation of the B═N bond in the "model" aminoborane iPr(2)N═BH(2) to give iPr(2)NH·BH(3) upon treatment with the diborazane Me(3)N-BH(2)-NHMe-BH(3) or amine-boranes RR'NH·BH(3) (R, R' = H or Me).