Reactions of phosphine-derived carbenes with 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (9-BBN) result in ring-expansion reactions to generate novel intramolecular frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs). These FLPs effect the catalytic reduction of CO2 in the presence of boranes to give BOB and methoxy-borate species.

Phosphine is shown to catalyse the reaction of CO2 with 9-BBN to give mixtures of HCO2(B(C8H14)) 3, H2C(OB(C8H14))24 and MeOB(C8H14) 5; at 0.02 mol% of tBu3P 5 is obtained in 98% yield at 60 °C with TON of almost 5500 and a TOF of 170. Under stoichiometric conditions the species (R3PCH2O)(HC(O)O)B(C8H14) (R = tBu 1,4-MeC6H42) were isolated and characterized.

A series of carbene–diether ligands were prepared and the corresponding Ag salts used to prepare the complexes RuHCl(PPh3)2(Im(OR)2) (Im(OR)2 = C3H2(NCH2CH2OR)2; R = Me (4a), t-Bu (4b), tert-hexyl (4c), Ph (4d), 2,6-i-Pr2C6H3 (4e)). In an analogous fashion the species RuHCl(PPh3)2(Y2Im(OMe)2) (Y2Im(OMe)2 = Y2C3(NCH2CH2OMe)2; Y2 = C6H4 (4f), Y = Cl (4g), Me (4h)) were also synthesized. Similarly RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)2(Im(OMe)2) (5) was prepared and readily converted to RuHCl(CO)(SIMes)(Im(OMe)2) (6) via treatment with SIMes. The reaction of 4a with SIMes afforded RuHCl(SIMes)(Im(OMe)2)(PPh3) (7), which reacts subsequently with Na[BPh4] to give [RuH(Im(OMe)2)(SIMes)][(η6-Ph)BPh3] (8). In a series of tests, the species 4a–h, 5, 6, and 8 were shown to catalyze the hydrogenations of 1-hexene, cyclohexene, and dimethyl itaconate. From the activity of 4a–h it is clear that the capability of the carbene–ether substituents to coordinate to the metal as well as electron-donating substituents on the carbene fragment enhances catalytic activity. Other variations such as in 5, 6, and 8 resulted in terminal-olefin-selective hydrogenation catalysts, although the zwitterionic species 8 showed significantly enhanced activity.

The reaction of the phosphino-carbene MeNC3H2NPtBu2 with RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)3 is shown to give facile access to the Ru(0) species (MeNC3H2NPtBu2)Ru(CO)(PPh3)2 (). This species undergoes oxidative addition of H2 and silanes to give (MeNC3H2NPtBu2)RuH2(CO)(PPh3)2, (MeNC3H2NPtBu2)Ru H(SiRPh2)(CO)(PPh3) (R = Ph 5, H 6) and (MeNC3H2NPtBu2) RuH(PhSi(SCH2CH2)2O)(CO)(PPh3) .