Mechanistic study of the rhodium(I)-catalyzed hydroboration reaction

Rhodium(I)-catalyzed hydroboration involved a multistep mechanism resembling that of transition metal catalyzed hydrogenation of olefins. Both processes proceeded through the migration of a hydride to the bound olefin. The application of isomerization and deutrium labeling studies identified the observed substrate-dependent level of reversibility and fundamental hydroboration catalytic cycle.