 The reaction is driven by release of hydrogen via C-H activation by the FLP.Aromatic borylations are often used in pharmaceutical development, particularly due to the abundance, low cost and low toxicity of boron compounds compared to noble metals.,
The substrate for the reaction has two main requirements, strongly linked to the mechanism of borylation.First, the substrate must be electron rich, exemplified by the absence of a reaction with thiophene, whereas its more electron rich derivatives - methoxythiophene and 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene - can undergo a reaction with the amino-borane.