In the past decades, borylation reactions have received extensive research interest and have developed into effective tools in the synthesis of versatile organoboron compounds. Boranes and symmetrical diboron compounds are commonly utilized as borylating reagents in these transformations, especially in the borylation reactions of unsaturated bonds. More recently, several types of unsymmetrical diboron reagents have been synthesized and applied in these borylation reactions, allowing for complementary chemo- and regioselectivity. This review aimed to highlight the recent development in this rising research field, focusing on new reactivity and selectivity that originates from the use of these unsymmetrical diboron reagents.
Keywords: borylation reaction; diboron reagents; mechanistic study; metal-catalyzed; metal-free; regioselectivity.