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Ammonia borane, Borane ammonia complex

This white solid can be used as an air-stable alternative to diborane. See also: trimethylamine borane


Recent Literature


A catalytic amount of titanium tetrachloride immensely accelerates the hydroboration-hydrolysis (reduction) of ketones with ammonia borane in diethyl ether at room temperature. The product alcohols are produced in very good yields within 30 min, even with ketones which typically requires 24 h or longer under uncatalyzed conditions.
P. V. Ramachandran, A. A. Alawaed, H. J. Hamann, J. Org. Chem., 2022, 87, 13259-13269.


Trimethyl borate promotes a solvent-free reductive amination of aldehydes and ketones with aliphatic and aromatic amines in very good yields in the presence of ammonia borane as reductant.
P. V. Ramachandran, S. Choudhary, A. Singh, J. Org. Chem., 2021, 86, 4274-4280.


A cobalt-catalyzed stereodivergent transfer hydrogenation of alkynes provides either Z- or E-alkenes based on a rational catalyst design. Substrates bearing a wide range of functional groups can be hydrogenated in good yields using catalyst loadings as low as 0.2 mol %.
S. Fu, N.-Y. Chen, X. Liu, Z. Shao, S.-P. Luo, Q. Liu, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2016, 138, 8588-8594.


A cobalt-catalyzed stereodivergent transfer hydrogenation of alkynes provides either Z- or E-alkenes based on a rational catalyst design. Substrates bearing a wide range of functional groups can be hydrogenated in good yields using catalyst loadings as low as 0.2 mol %.
S. Fu, N.-Y. Chen, X. Liu, Z. Shao, S.-P. Luo, Q. Liu, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2016, 138, 8588-8594.


A borane catalyzed metal-free transfer hydrogenation of pyridines furnishes various piperidines in good yields with good cis-selectivities in the presence of ammonia borane as a hydrogen source. The ease in handling without requiring high pressure H2 makes this transfer hydrogenation practical and useful.
Q. Zhou, L. Zhang, W. Meng, X. Feng, J. Yang, H. Du, Org. Lett., 2016, 18, 5189-5191.