Chemoselective Bromodeboronation of Organotrifluoroborates Using Tetrabutylammonium Tribromide: Application in (Z)-Dibromoalkene Syntheses

Tetrabutylammonium tribromide (TBATB) has been found to be a unique bromodeboronation reagent for organotrifluoroborates. When compared to previously reported bromodeboronation methods, the mild and metal-free reaction conditions tolerate a wider range of functional groups. High regio- and chemoselectivity are observed in the presence of both unsaturated carbon-carbon bonds and aldehyde functional groups. An efficient synthetic route to (Z)-dibromoalkenes from terminal alkynes has been developed using the TBATB-mediated bromodeboronation as a key step.