Diplumbane-catalysed solvent- and additive-free hydroboration of ketones and aldehydes.

A new diplumbane, namely [Pb(CH 2 SiMe 3 ) 3 ] 2 , was synthesized and structurally characterized. This group 14 element compound was found to catalyse the hydroboration of ketones and aldehydes under mild conditions without the use of additives and solvents, leading to the synthesis of a range of alcohols in high yields after hydrolysis.