Search

A series of molecules capable of releasing of the strong organometallic Lewis acid B(C6F5)3 upon exposure to 254 nm light have been developed. These photo Lewis acid generators (PhLAGs) can now serve as photoinitiators for several important B(C6F5)3-catalyzed reactions. Herein is described the synthesis of the triphenylsulfonium and diphenyliodonium salts of carbamato- and hydridoborates, their establishment as PhLAGs, and studies aimed at defining the mechanism of borane release. Factors affecting these photolytic reactions and the application of this concept to photoinduced hydrosilylation reactions and construction of siloxane scaffolds are also discussed.

The chemistry of organoboron compounds has been primarily dominated by their use as powerful reagents in synthetic organic chemistry. Recently, the incorporation of boron as part of a functional target structure has emerged as a useful way to generate diversity in organic compounds. A commonly applied strategy is the replacement of a CC unit with its isoelectronic BN unit. In particular, the BN/CC isosterism of the ubiquitous arene motif has undergone a renaissance in the past decade. The parent molecule of the 1,2-dihydro-1,2-azaborine family has now been isolated. New mono- and polycyclic B,N heterocycles have been synthesized for potential use in biomedical and materials science applications. This review is a tribute to Dewar's first synthesis of a monocyclic 1,2-dihydro-1,2-azaborine 50 years ago and discusses recent advances in the synthesis and characterization of heterocycles that contain carbon, boron, and nitrogen., (Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

In the mid-1990s, it was discovered that tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, B(C(6)F(5))(3), was an effective catalyst for hydrosilylation of a variety of carbonyl and imine functions. Mechanistic studies revealed a counterintuitive path in which the function of the borane was to activate the silane rather than the organic substrate. This was the first example of what has come to be known as "frustrated Lewis pair" chemistry utilizing this remarkable class of electrophilic boranes. Subsequent discoveries by the groups of Stephan and Erker showed that this could be extended to the activation of dihydrogen, initiating an intense period of activity in this area in the past 5 years. This article describes the early hydrosilylation chemistry and its subsequent applications to a variety of transformations of importance to organic and inorganic chemists, drawing parallels with the more recent hydrogen activation chemistry. Here, we emphasize the current understanding of the mechanism of this process rather than focusing on the many and emerging applications of hydrogen activation by fluoroarylborane-based frustrated Lewis pair systems., (© 2011 American Chemical Society)

A chemically competent indirect pathway for the activation of dihydrogen by the nonmetal Lewis acid/Lewis base pair (t)Bu(3)P/B(C(6)F(5))(3) is described. The reaction between (t)Bu(3)P and B(C(6)F(5))(3) produces [(t)Bu(3)PH](+)[FB(C(6)F(5))(3)](-) and the known phosphinoborane p-(t)Bu(2)P-C(6)F(4)-B(C(6)F(5))(2) (1-(t)Bu) with elimination of isobutylene. At 1:1 stoichiometry, 1-(t)Bu is produced rapidly in detectable quantities and can act as a catalyst for the formation of [(t)Bu(3)PH](+)[HB(C(6)F(5))(3)](-) from (t)Bu(3)P and B(C(6)F(5))(3) in the presence of H(2). The extent to which this indirect path competes with the direct path is explored.

The first cationic 1,2-azaborine adducts of neutral phosphorous- and oxygen-based nucleophiles have been synthesized and characterized via spectroscopic and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.

The first microwave spectrum for 1,2-dihydro-1,2-azaborine has been measured in the frequency range 7-18 GHz, providing accurate rotational constants and nitrogen and boron quadrupole coupling strengths for three isotopomers, H(6)C(4)(11)B(14)N, H(6)C(4)(10)B(14)N, and H(5)DC(4)(11)B(14)N. The measured rotational constants were used to accurately determine coordinates for the substituted atoms and provide sufficient data to determine most of the important structural parameters for this molecule. The spectra were obtained using a pulsed beam Fourier transform microwave spectrometer, with sufficient resolution to allow accurate measurements of (14)N, (11)B, and (10)B nuclear quadrupole hyperfine interactions. High-level ab initio calculations provided structural parameters and quadrupole coupling strengths that are in very good agreement with measured values. The rotational constants for the parent compound are A = 5657.335(1), B = 5349.2807(5), and C = 2749.1281(4) MHz, yielding the inertial defect Delta(0) = 0.02 amu x A(2) for the ground-state structure. The observed near-zero and positive inertial defect clearly indicates that the molecular structure of 1,2-dihydro-1,2-azaborine is planar. The least-squares fit analysis to determine the azaborine ring structure yielded the experimental bond lengths and 2sigma errors R(B-N) = 1.45(3) A, R(B-C) = 1.51(1) A, and R(N-C) = 1.37(3) A for the ground-state structure. Interbond angles for the ring were also determined. An extended Townes-Dailey population analysis of the boron and nitrogen quadrupole coupling constants provided the valence p-electron occupancy p(c) = 0.3e for boron and p(c) = 1.3e for nitrogen.

BN Benzonitrile 2, a 1,2-dihydro-1,2-azaborine bearing an electron-withdrawing boron substituent was prepared and characterized, and its coordination chemistry investigated; reactivity studies revealed that BN benzonitrile 2 undergoes BCN-BNC linkage isomerism upon coordination to Cr(CO)(5).

Rotational transitions for N-Et-1,2-azaborine were measured in the 5-13 GHz range using a Flygare-Balle type Fourier transform spectrometer system. Twelve distinct rotational transitions with over 130 resolved hyperfine components, which included a-dipole and b-dipole transitions, were measured and analyzed to obtain rotational constants and (11)B and (14)N nuclear quadrupole coupling constants in the principal rotational axis system. Rotational constants obtained are A=4477.987(4), B=1490.5083(7), and C=1230.6728(6) MHz. The quadrupole coupling constants for (11)B are eQq(aa)=-1.82(1), (eQq(bb)-eQq(cc))=-3.398(4) MHz, and for (14)N, eQq(aa)=1.25(1), (eQq(bb)-eQq(cc))=0.662(4) MHz. Quantum electronic structure calculations predict a ground-state structure with the ethyl group perpendicular to the azaborine plane and rotational constants in very good agreement with the measured structure and rotational constants. The theoretical conformational analysis of the ethyl group rotation around the N[Single Bond]C bond in relation to the heterocyclic ring yielded an asymmetric torsional potential energy surface with barrier heights of about 900 and 1350 cm(-1) for the N-Et-1,2-azaborine. Results of the measurements and calculations indicate that the basic molecular structure of N-Et-1,2-azaborine is similar to ethylbenzene. Electrostatic potential calculations qualitatively show that pi-electron density is somewhat delocalized around the 1,2-azaborine ring.

The first general synthesis of boron-substituted 1,2-dihydro-1,2-azaborines is described. The versatile 1,2-dihydro-1,2-azaborine precursor 4 is synthesized through a ring-closing metathesis-oxidation sequence. Treatment of 4 with a wide range of anionic nucleophiles furnishes the desired adducts 5 in good yields. The scope includes hydrogen- and a variety of carbon- and heteroatom-based nucleophiles. Furthermore, the boron-containing isostere (7) of the potent hypolipidemic agent, methyl 2-ethylphenoxyacetate (8), is readily prepared through our method.

Unsaturated fatty acids are nitrated endogenously to produce nitrated lipids. Recent studies have shown that these nitrated lipids have high chemical reactivity and profound biological implications. We report an efficient, scalable synthesis which is regiospecific and stereoselective for all possible isomers of nitrated oleic acid: (E)- and (Z)-, 9- and 10-octadec-9-enoic acids.