Generation of High-Molecular-Weight Polymers with Diverse Substituents: An Unusual Metal-Free Synthesis of Poly(aminoborane)s.

A new concept has been introduced for the preparation of high-molecular-weight poly(aminoborane)s with diverse substituents on the nitrogen atom. Whereas previous methods were oxidative and relied largely on catalytic dehydrocoupling, the new process is based on an uncatalysed polymerisation reaction promoted by amine-aminoborane exchange, and should give access to previously inaccessible polymers.