Transition metal-catalyzed direct borylation and silylation based on C-H activation

Direct borylation and silylation of unreactive C-H bonds catalyzed by transition metal complexes have been extensively studied by several research groups and have become economical, efficient, elegant, and environmentally benign protocols for the synthesis of a variety of organoboron and organosilicon compounds. A number of transition metal complexes catalyzes C-H borylation and silylation of alkanes, arenes, heteroarenes, alkenes, or benzylic positions of alkylarenes by diborons or hydoroboranes and disilanes or hydrosilanes to produce the corresponding alkyl-, aryl-, heteroaryl-, vinyl-, or benzylboron and -silicon compounds, respectively. In this review, seminal early works and exciting recent developments in the area of direct borylation and silylation of hydrocarbons based on C-H activation are summarized.