Boron insertion into alkyl ether bonds via zinc/nickel tandem catalysis

Slipping boron into alkyl ethers The carbon–oxygen bonds that hold alkyl ethers together are relatively inert. Lyu et al. report that zinc and nickel can team up to insert boron between the carbon and oxygen using an unusual mechanism. First, a dibromoborane pries open the bond with help from a zinc ion. Next, the nickel stitches together the carbon and boron, and the oxidation of metallic zinc starts the cycle over again. Versatile reactivity at the inserted boron center can then add carbons to the original ether or swap out oxygen for nitrogen. Science , this issue p. 175