Patent ID: 7514563

Claim:
A process for producing a cyano ring-substituted arene borane wherein the arene is selected from the group consisting of pyridine, pyrrole, furan, thiophene and benzene, the process comprising: reacting a ring-substituted cyano arene with an HB or a B—B organic compound, in the presence of a catalytically effective amount of a catalytic composition comprising an iridium complex and an organic ligand at least in part bonded to the iridium complex, the organic ligand being selected from the group consisting of a phosphorus organic ligand, an organic amine, an imine, and a nitrogen-substituent organic ligand comprising at least one 5- or 6-membered nitrogen heterocycle to form the cyano ring-substituted arene borane; wherein: (i) the iridium complex is selected from the group consisting of (Cp*)Ir(H) 2 (Me 3 P), (Cp*)Ir(H)(BPin)(Me 3 P), (CP*)Ir(H)(C 6 H 5 )(Me 3 P), (Ind)Ir(COD), (MesH)Ir(BPin)(B(OR) 2 ), ((R 1 ) 3 P) 3 Ir(B(OR 2 ) 2 ) 3 , (R 1 ) 2 P) 2 Ir(BPin) 3 , [((R 1 ) 2 P) 3 Ir((R 2 O) 2 B) 3 ] 2 , ((R 1 ) 3 P) 4 Ir(BPin), ((R1) 2 P) 2 Ir(BPin) 3 , (MesH)Ir(BPin) 3 , IrCl(COD), [IrCl(COD)] 2 , [Ir(OMe)(COD)] 2 , and combinations thereof; and (ii) in the iridium complex, CP* is 1,2,3,4,5-methylcyclopentadienyl, BPin is pinacolborane, Me is methyl, H is hydrogen, P is phosphorus, Ind is indenyl, COD is 1,5-cyclooctadiene, MesH is mesitylene, and R, R 1 , and R 2 are each selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, linear or branched alkyl containing 1 to 8 carbons, aryl, and a carbon in a cyclic structure.