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.