In organic chemistry, carboboration describes an addition of both a carbon and a boron moiety to certain carbon-containing double and triple bonds, such as alkenes, alkynes, and allenes.
In the synthesis of organic compounds, this chemical reaction is used to install a new carbon-carbon bond and carbon-boron bond. The product of carboboration reactions are organoborane compounds which prove to be useful in organic synthesis, containing both a new carbon group and a boron handle for further functionalization. This carbon-boron bond allows for organoboron chemistry, which facilitates a wide variety of chemical transformations such as oxidation and the Suzuki Reaction. The carbon-boron bond can be transformed into a variety of functional groups and moieties, making it highly useful in pharmaceutical chemistry and organic synthesis.
Carboboration was developed soon after the advent and widespread use of hydroboration. Carboboration is often facilitated via catalysis, often employing transition metals, and usually involves an activated alkene or alkyne. The two most well-documented categories of carboboration are 1,1 and 1,2 carboboration, which differ in the regioselectivity of the incoming carbon group.