Chemistry of boron hydrides orchestrated by dihydrogen bonds

Proton transfer is shown being an important step in many transformations involving main group element hydrides and dihydrogen bonded (E-H center dot center dot center dot HX) complexes are key intermediates. This review covers recent developments in the studies of boron hydrides reactivity orchestrated by dihydrogen bonds, focusing on their role in such reactions as proton transfer and H-2 evolution, dimerization and hydrogen-deuterium exchange. The purpose of our review is to show what the discovery of dihydrogen bond gave for the development of boron hydride chemistry and what the theoretical and experimental studies of dihydrogen bonds with boron hydrides gave for a hydrogen bond concept. Spectral, structural and electronic features of these hydrogen bonds are summarized and analyzed in this review paying particular attention to the mechanistic details. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.