Metalized Borylene: A New Inorganic Cousin of Borylenes

Borylenes have become a heated topic of intense interest due to their fascinating transition metal-mimicking reactivity and their role as key intermediates in synthesizing complex boron-containing molecules. However, the practical utilization of borylenes has been limited by their instability and complicated methodologies. Very recently, metalized borylenes based on boron-metal covalent interactions and stabilization strategies involving boron-metal multicenter bonding have been proposed. Spectroscopic and theoretical evidence has substantiated that metal-stabilized metalized borylenes possess molecular activation abilities comparable to or even superior to those of classical organoborylenes; however, these species are yet to be isolated or realized experimentally. This brief concept presents an overview of the definition, structural and bonding characteristics, stabilization strategies, amphoteric reactivity, experimental cases, and future perspectives of metal-stabilized metalized borylene compounds. As a new member of the borylene family, metal-stabilized metalized borylenes unlock new access to hyperactive amphoteric borylene, paving the way for synthesizing novel chemicals and developing new catalytic reactions.