Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Synthesis of a Borylated Ibuprofen Derivative Through Suzuki Cross-Coupling and Alkene Boracarboxylation Reactions
Published on: November 30, 2022
Cyclopropane-to-organoboron conversion via C-H and C-C bond activation
Shuyu Kang1, Xueli Lv1, Zhuangzhi Shi1
1State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China. shiz@nju.edu.cn.
None:
Organoborons have emerged as a class of privileged building blocks in modern organic synthesis, enabling unparalleled molecular diversity and serving as versatile carboxylic acid bioisosteres with profound implications in drug discovery. Concurrently, cyclopropanes have garnered sustained attention as unique synthetic platforms, with their rigid and highly strained three-membered ring structures conferring distinctive steric and electronic properties that facilitate selective C-H and C-C activation processes. The strategic transformation of cyclopropanes into organoborons represents a particularly appealing synthetic approach, offering access to valuable molecular architectures. This review systematically examines the seminal advancements of cyclopropane-to-organoboron conversion over recent years, employing a structured classification based on two fundamental activation modes: C-H borylation and C-C borylation. The review provides in-depth mechanistic elucidation, with particular emphasis on catalytic cycles, key reactive intermediates, and stereodiscrimination processes, thereby offering fundamental insights into the governing principles of these transformations. Looking forward, continued innovation in catalyst design and the exploration of novel reaction pathways are anticipated to significantly expand the synthetic utility and scope of conversions, potentially opening new frontiers in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry.
Related Concept Videos
Hydroboration-Oxidation of Alkenes
Regioselectivity and Stereochemistry of Hydroboration
Hydroboration proceeds in a concerted fashion with the attack of borane on the π bond, giving a cyclic four-centered transition state. The –BH2 group is bonded to the less substituted carbon and –H to the more substituted carbon. The concerted nature requires the simultaneous addition of –H and –BH2 across the same face of the alkene giving syn stereochemistry.
Alkynes to Aldehydes and Ketones: Hydroboration-Oxidation
One of the convenient methods for the preparation of aldehydes and ketones is via hydration of alkynes. Hydroboration-oxidation of alkynes is an indirect hydration reaction in which an alkyne is treated with borane followed by oxidation with alkaline peroxide to form an enol that rapidly converts into an aldehyde or a ketone. Terminal alkynes form aldehydes, whereas internal alkynes give ketones as the final product.
Halogenation of Alkenes
Consider the bromination of cyclopentene. Molecular bromine is polarized in the proximity of the π electrons of cyclopentene. An electrophilic bromine atom adds across the double bond, forming a cyclic bromonium ion intermediate.
Radical Substitution: Allylic Bromination
Regioselectivity of Electrophilic Additions-Peroxide Effect

