Synthesis, Structure and Reactivity of a Borylene Cation [(NHSi)2B(CO)]+ Stabilized by Three Neutral Ligands

A borylene cation stabilized by bis(silylene) and carbon monoxide was prepared and structurally characterized via the reaction of bis(silylene)-stabilized bromoborylene with W(CO)6. This is the first example of a borylene cation coordinated by three neutral ligands, which can be viewed as a cationic form of a long-sought Lewis base-stabilized zerovalent boron compound. This cation can cleave dihydrogen.