A method for the β-borylation of alkynoates has been developed. In the presence of
bis(pinacolato)diboron and catalytic amounts of both copper(II) and 4-picoline, substituted
alkynoates undergo borylation in a regio-, stereo-, and chemoselective fashion. The
reaction is performed under mild conditions using water as solvent and open to the
atmosphere to exclusively afford (Z)-β-boryl-α,β-unsaturated esters.
Key words
boron - copper - stereoselectivity - hydroboration - alkynes