Boronation reagent, cf Bis(pinacolato)-diboron, which undergoes Pd-catalyzed coupling with aryl halides to give neopentylato boronic esters, more readily hydrolyzed to boronic acids than the corresponding pinacolato esters: Chem. Abs., 129, 290220 (1998). Found to be much more efficient than bis(pinacolato)diboron for the synthesis of hindered ortho-substituted arylboronic acids: Tetrahedron Lett., 46, 1671 (2005).