Ni-catalyzed Si-B addition to 1,3-dienes: Disproportionation in lieu of silaboration

Upon attempted silaboration of acyclic 1- and 1,4-substituted 1,3-dienes, a new disproportionation reaction was discovered, yielding 1:1 mixtures of allylsilanes and dienylboranes. It was demonstrated that, as a key step in this new catalytic process, hydrogen is being transferred from one diene moiety to another.