Thermal and UV-light dual-mode hydroboration of nitriles catalyzed by Mo(CO)6.

Molybdenum, an early-transition metal, exhibits both biological activity and catalytic properties. It displays unique advantages in the activation of organic molecules, particularly nitrogen-containing substrates. Herein, the simple organometallic carbonyl complex Mo(CO)6 was employed as a pre-catalyst for the hydroboration of nitriles. Under thermal and photocatalytic conditions, aliphatic, aromatic, and cyclic nitriles were transformed into diborylated amines with excellent chemoselectivity.