Facile Synthesis of a Stable Dihydroboryl {BH2}− Anion

While the one-electron reduction of (CAACMe)BH2Br (CAACMe = 1-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3,3,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidin-2-ylidene) yields a hydride-shift isomer of the corresponding tetrahydrodiborane, a further reversible reduction leads to the first stable parent boryl anion, [(CAACMe)BH2]–, which acts as a powerful boron nucleophile.