The alkaline earth bis(trimethylsilyl)amides, [Ae{N(SiMe3)2}2(THF)2] [Ae = Mg, Ca, Sr], are effective pre-catalysts for boron-nitrogen bond formation through the desilacoupling of amines, RR’NH (R = alkyl, aryl; R′ = H, alkyl, aryl), and pinBSiMe2Ph. This reactivity also yields a stoichiometric quantity of Me2PhSiH and provides the first example of a catalytic main group element-element coupling that is not dependent on the concurrent elimination of H2
