Synthesis of Secondary and Tertiary Alkyl Boronic Esters by gem-Carboborylation: Carbonyl Compounds as Bis(electrophile) Equivalents.

An unprecedent gem-carboborylation of aldehydes and ketones provides access to various secondary and tertiary alkyl boronic esters. The addition of B2 pin2 to a carbonyl compound generates α-oxyl-substituted alkyl boron species. Organolithium and Grignard reagents are then applied as C nucleophiles for the 1,2-metalate rearrangement process. The organolithium reagents can also be generated by C-H lithiation or halogen/lithium exchange. The use of chiral ligands led to the generation of chiral alkyl boronic esters in enantioenriched form, demonstrating that the enantioselectivity of this transformation is catalyst-controlled.