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Inorganic chemistry

A reducing role for boron

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Carbon monoxide molecules are typically coupled together using metal catalysts. The discovery that boron, a non-metal, mediates such a reaction is startling, and raises the prospect of potentially useful carbon–carbon bond-forming processes.

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Figure 1: Carbon monoxide molecules joined by a boron-containing compound.

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Correspondence to Polly L. Arnold.

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Arnold, P. A reducing role for boron. Nature 502, 458–459 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/502458a

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