The broadening reach of frustrated Lewis pair chemistry

Abstract

Cooperation between frustrated partners What might you do with a hat that had so many decorations dangling from the brim that you couldn't put it on? Lewis acids and bases are the molecular versions of hats and heads. Stephan reviews the surprising chemistry of so-called frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs), which cannot form their natural complex together. Over the past decade, such systems (most often comprising a borane with a nitrogen or phosphorus partner) have been used to catalyze hydrogenation reactions, activate a number of other small molecules, and generally promote a wide range of cooperative chemical reactivity. Science , this issue p. 10.1126/science.aaf7229