# Photoinduced Deoxygenative Boration of Unactivated Alcohols Involving In-Situ-Formed Alkyl Iodides

## TL;DR

This paper presents a new method to convert alcohols into alkylboronate esters using light and a two-step one-pot process.

## Contribution

A streamlined, scalable, and functional-group-tolerant one-pot method for alkylboronate ester synthesis from unactivated alcohols.

## Key findings

- The method works for primary, secondary, and tertiary alcohols.
- The process is operationally simple and allows for broad functional-group tolerance.
- Visible-light irradiation and lithium iodide are essential for the reaction.

## Abstract

A method for the direct two-step/one-pot conversion of
unactivated
1°, 2°, and 3° alcohols into the corresponding alkylboronate
esters is reported. The hydroxy group is activated in situ by reaction
with the Hendrickson “POP” reagent. The rapidly formed
alkoxyphosphonium salt is then reacted with bis­(catecholato)­diboron
under visible-light irradiation in the presence of stoichiometric
amounts of lithium iodide. This one-pot protocol streamlines the two-step
procedure, and it is operationally simple and scalable. The functional-group
tolerance is broad.