Cobalt-Catalyzed Hydroboration of Terminal and Internal Alkynes

A novel methodology to access synthetically versatile vinylboronic esters through a ligand-controlled cobalt-catalyzed hydroboration of terminal and internal alkynes is reported. The approach relies on the in situ reduction of Co(II) by H-BPin in the presence of bisphosphine ligands generating catalytically active Co(I) hydride complexes. This procedure avoids the use of stoichiometric amounts of base, and no boron-containing byproducts are generated which is translated into high functional group tolerance and atom economy.