Combining 2-formylphenylboronic acid with 4-hydrazinylbenzoic acid in neutral aqueous solution at low, equimolar concentrations of the reagents results in a single, stable product, a 1,2-dihydro-1-hydroxy-2,3,1-benzodiazaborine, in a matter of minutes with no side products. Application of this reaction to protein conjugation demonstrates that the reaction is orthogonal to protein functional groups, and the resulting conjugate withstands SDS-PAGE analysis. This reaction should be particularly useful for couplings that must be performed with low concentrations of reagents under physiologically compatible conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]