Bifunctional activation of amine-boranes by the W/Pd bimetallic analogs of "frustrated Lewis pairs"

The reaction between basic [(PCP)Pd(H)] (PCP = 2,6-(CH2P(t-C4H9)2)2C6H4) and acidic [LWH(CO)3] (L = Cp (1a), Tp (1b); Cp = ?5-cyclopentadienyl, Tp = ?3-hydridotris(pyrazolyl)borate) leads to the formation of bimolecular complexes [LW(CO)2(?-CO)?Pd(PCP)] (4a, 4b), which catalyze amine-borane (Me2NHBH3, tBuNH2BH3) dehydrogenation. The combination of variable-temperature (1H, 31P{1H}, 11B NMR and IR) spectroscopies and computational (?B97XD/def2-TZVP) studies reveal the formation of an ?1-borane complex [(PCP)Pd(Me2NHBH3)]+[LW(CO3)]- (5) in the first step, where a BH bond strongly binds palladium and an amine group is hydrogen-bonded to tungsten. The subsequent intracomplex proton transfer is the rate-determining step, followed by an almost barrierless hydride transfer. Bimetallic species 4 are easily regenerated through hydrogen evolution in the reaction between two hydrides.