Hydroelementation enables a facile reduction or functionalization of several unsaturated systems, and thus activation of such bonds like B–H and Si–H is a powerful synthetic tool.

For the first time, a general method for catalyst-free and solvent-free hydroboration of various aldehydes has been developed.

Commercially available and inexpensive lithium triethylborohydride (LiHBEt₃) acts as efficient catalyst for the solvent-free hydroboration of a wide range of aldehydes and ketones, which were subsequently transformed to corresponding 1° and 2° alcohols in one-pot procedure at room temperature (rt).