The first ansa-aminoborane N-TMPN-CH2C6H4B(C6F5)2 (where TMPNH is 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl) which is able to reversibly activate H2 through an intramolecular mechanism is synthesized. This new substance makes use of the concept of molecular tweezers where the active N and B centers are located close to each other so that one H2 molecule can fit in this void and be activated. Because of the fixed geometry of this ansa-ammonium-borate it forms a short N-H...H-B dihydrogen bond of 1.78 A as determined by X-ray analysis. Therefore, the bound hydrogen can be released above 100 degrees C. In addition, the short H...H contact and the N-H...H (154 degrees) and B-H...H (125 degrees) angles show that the dihydrogen interaction in N-TMPNH-CH2C6H4BH(C6F5)2 is partially covalent in nature. As a basis for discussing the mechanism, quantum chemical calculations are performed and it is found that the energy needed for splitting H2 can arise from the Coulomb attraction between the resulting ionic fragments, or "Coulomb pays for Heitler-London". The air- and moisture-stable N-TMPNH-CH2C6H4BH(C6F5)2 is employed in the catalytic reduction of nonsterically demanding imines and enamines under mild conditions (110 degrees C and 2 atm of H2) to give the corresponding amines in high yields.

Lifting the curtain on metal‐free hydrogen activation and hydrogenation: The successive splitting of molecular hydrogen under mild conditions by “frustrated Lewis pairs” based on inexpensive, stable amines in combination with B(C6F5)3 is presented by B. Rieger, T. Repo et al. in their Communication on The successful reduction of benzaldehyde is encouraging for the development of amine‐B(C6F5)3 systems for the catalytic hydrogenation of olefins, carbonyl functions, and imines.

New highly active ansa-ammonium borate catalysts for the direct metal-free hydrogenation of imines were prepared by tuning of the basicity and steric bulkiness of their amine moieties. The highest catalytic activity among previously reported organocatalytic systems was shown for a wide range of nitrogen-containing substrates. The first example of asymmetric imine hydrogenation based on the ansaammonium borate concept was demonstrated. Furthermore, effective catalyst recovery by extraction of the acidic solution with an organic solvent followed by dehydration with TMSBr was elaborated. The initial findings highlight the development of more effective chiral ansa-ammonium borates for enantioselective hydrogenation. Therefore, the progress achieved in the ansa-ammonium borate concept makes it very promising for further elaboration with the aim to obtain industrially applicable catalysts.

Ungleiche Teilung: Metallfreie Systeme aus Aminen und B(C6F5)3 bewirken bei moderatem Druck und teilweise schon bei Raumtemperatur die einfache heterolytische Spaltung von H2. Die effiziente Reduktion von Benzaldehyd durch das Produkt dieser Reaktion (siehe Schema) weist auf das Potenzial solcher Systeme für die Anwendung in Hydrierungen hin.

To date, only metal-containing hydrogenation catalysts have been utilized for producing substantial NMR signal enhancements by means of parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP). Herein, we show that metal-free compounds known as molecular tweezers are useful in this respect. It is shown that ansa-aminoborane tweezers QCAT provided (20-30)-fold signal enhancements of parahydrogen-originating hydrogens in (1)H NMR spectra. Nuclear polarization transfer from the polarized hydrogens to (11)B nuclei leads to a 10-fold enhancement in the (11)B NMR spectrum. Moreover, our results indicate that dihydrogen activation by QCAT and CAT tweezers is carried out in a pairwise manner, and PHIP can be used for understanding the activation mechanism in metal-free catalytic systems in general.