Catalytic heterolytic splitting of dihydrogen had until recently been a domain of metal- containing systems, be it for example in the Fe or Fe/Ni hydrogenase enzymes [1] or the Noyori-type chelate amine ruthenium catalysts and many conceptually related systems.[2] Stephan et al. recently reported the reaction of dihydrogen with frustrated phosphane/borane Lewis pairs, some of which are quite active catalysts for the ...
