Over the past few decades, nickel boride has emerged as a versatile reagent. It is used for reduction, dehalogenation, desulfurization, deoxygenation of chalcogen mono- and dioxides, and many deprotection reactions, such as deprotection of carbonyl, carboxy, ester, and amino groups. The ease of preparation, stability, low cost, and facile removal make nickel boride superior to alternative reagents. Reactions are catalyzed at ambient temperature in various solvents, including methanol, ethanol, THF, and water–methanol mixtures. There is significant potential for expanding its use in various areas of organic synthesis. This review highlights the evolution of nickel boride from a classical reducing agent to a modern nanocatalyst, underscoring its growing importance in sustainable synthetic methodologies.
Arora et al. (Sun,) studied this question.