Alkylation of aldehyde (arenesulfonyl) hydrazones with trialkylboranes

(Arenesulfonyl)hydrazone derivatives of aryl aldehydes are readily alkylated by trialkylboranes in the presence of base to generate new organoboranes that may be converted to the corresponding substituted alkanes or alcohols depending upon the reaction conditions chosen. Both tosyl- and trisylhydrazone derivatives can be utilized in the reaction, which tolerates a variety of functional groups, making it a versatile alternative to both the Grignard and Suzuki-coupling reactions.