Bis(pyridine)difluoroboron, tris(pyridine)fluoroboron, and other (pyridine)haloboron cations. A systematic NMR study

The adducts pyr•BF2Br and pyr•BFBr2 (pyr = pyridine) form fluoroboron cations by displacement of Br− by excess pyridine, the ease of cation formation being pyr2BF2+ » pyr2BFBr+ » pyr3BF2+•Cl− can be displaced from pyr•BF2Cl and pyr•BFCl2, but much less readily, to form pyr2BF2+, pyr2BFCl+, and, under forcing conditions, a few percent of pyr3BF2+. Non-fluorine-containing mixed boron trihalide adducts of pyridine also form haloboron cations by heaviest-halide-ion displacement, for example pyr•BClI2 giving pyr2BClI+, the ease of displacement always being I− > Br− > Cl−, and displacement always occurring more readily from mixed boron trihalide adducts than from unmixed-halogen adducts. The mechanistic implications of this are discussed. ortho Substituents greatly reduce the ability of pyridine to displace heavy halide ion, so 2-methylpyridine gives 2-Mepyr2BF2+ and 2-Mepyr2BFBr+ but not 2-Mepyr2BFCl+ or 2-Mepyr3BF2+, while 2,6-dimethylpyridine does not form any haloboron cations. 19F spin-lattice relaxation times of the fluoroboron cations are much shorter than those of neutral boron trihalide adducts in the same solution, and provide a further diagnostic test for their presence. Key words: fluoroboron cations, pyridines, mixed boron trihalide adducts, fluorine-19 NMR, boron-11 NMR.