Decarboxylative Borylation of mCPBA-Activated Aliphatic Acids

A decarboxylative borylation of aliphatic acids for the synthesis of a variety of alkylboronates has been developed by mixing m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (mCPBA)-activated fatty acids with bis(catecholato)diboron in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) at room temperature. A radical chain process is involved in the reaction which initiates from the B–B bond homolysis followed by the radical transfer from the boron atom to the carbon atom with subsequent decarboxylation and borylation.