From Proton to Boron: The Lewis Analogs of Protonated Brønsted Super Acids.

Isolation and characterization of highly reactive intermediates are crucial to understand the nature of chemical reactivity. Accordingly, the reactivity of weakly coordinating anions (WCA), usually used to stabilized cationic super electrophiles are of fundamental interest. When a variety of WCA are known to form stable σ-complexes with a proton, inducing Brønsted super acidity, bis-coordinated weak-coordinated anions are much more elusive and considered as long-sought reactive species. In this work, the chemistry of borylated sulfate, triflimidate and triflate anions were scouted in details with the aim of synthetizing the unique analogs of protonated Brønsted superacids. Those complexes were formed by successive borylation with a 9-boratriptycene derived Lewis super acid paired with a weak coordinated anion, characterized in solution and in the solid state and exhibit unique structures and reactivities.

Taming the Lewis Superacidity of Non-Planar Boranes: C-H Bond Activation and Non-Classical Binding Modes at Boron.

The rational design of a geometrically constrained boron Lewis superacid featuring exceptional structure and reactivity is disclosed. It enabled the formation of non-classical electron deficient B-H-B type of bonding, which was supported by spectroscopic and structural parameters as well as computational studies. Taming the pyramidal Lewis acid electrophilicity through weak coordinating anion dissociation enabled a series of highly challenging chemical transformations, such as Csp2 -H and Csp3 -H activation under a frustrated Lewis pair regime and the cleavage of Csp3 -Si bonds. The demonstration of such rich chemical behaviour and flexibility on a single molecular compound makes it a unique mediator of chemical transformations generally restricted to transition metals.

Rational Development of a Metal-Free Bifunctional System for the C-H Activation of Methane: A Density Functional Theory Investigation.

The activation or heterolytic splitting of methane, a challenging substrate usually restricted to transition metals, has so far proven elusive in experimental frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) chemistry. In this article, we demonstrate, using density functional theory (DFT), that 1-aza-9-boratriptycene is a conceptually simple intramolecular FLP for the activation of methane. Systematic comparison with other FLP systems allows to gain insight into their reactivity with methane. The thermodynamics and kinetics of methane activation are interpreted by referring to the analysis of the natural charges and by employing the distortion-interaction/activation strain (DIAS) model. These showed that the nature of the Lewis base influences the selectivity over the reaction pathway, with N Lewis bases favoring the deprotonation mechanism and P bases the hydride abstraction one. The lower barrier of activation for 1-aza-9-boratriptycene and the higher products stability are due to a better interaction energy than its counterparts, itself due to electrostatic interactions with the methane moiety, favorable orbital overlaps allowed by the side-attack, and space proximity between the B and N atoms.

Methylene Bridging Effect on the Structures, Lewis Acidities and Optical Properties of Semi-planar Triarylboranes.

Three synthetic methods towards semi-planar triarylboranes with two aryl rings connected by a methylene bridge have been developed. The fine-tuning of their stereoelectronic properties and Lewis acidities was achieved by introducing fluorine, methyl, methoxy, n-butyl and phenyl groups either at their exocyclic or bridged aryl rings. X-ray diffraction analysis and quantum-chemical calculations provided quantitative information on the structural distortion experienced by the near planar hydro-boraanthracene skeleton during the association with Lewis bases such as NH3 and F- . Though the methylene bridge between the ortho-positions of two aryl rings of triarylboranes decreased the Gibbs free energies of complexation with small Lewis bases by less than 5 kJ mol-1 relative to the classical Lewis acid BAr3 , the steric shielding of the CH2 bridge is sufficient to avoid the formation of Lewis adducts with larger Lewis bases such as triarylphosphines. A newly synthesized spirocyclic amino-borane with a long intramolecular B-N bond that could be dissociated under thermal process, UV-irradiation, or acidic conditions might be a potential candidate in Lewis pairs catalysis.

Controlled Generation of 9-Boratriptycene by Lewis Adduct Dissociation: Accessing a Non-Planar Triarylborane.

A highly bent triarylborane, 9-boratriptycene, was generated in solution by selective protodeboronation of the corresponding tetra-aryl boron ate complex with the strong Brønsted acid HNTf2 . The iptycene core confers enhanced Lewis acidity to 9-boratriptycene, making it unique in terms of structure and reactivity. We studied the stereoelectronic properties of 9-boratriptycene by quantifying its association with small N- and O-centered Lewis bases, as well as with sterically hindered phosphines. The resultant Lewis adducts exhibited unique structural, spectroscopic, and photophysical properties. Beyond the high pyramidalization of the 9-boratriptycene scaffold and its low reorganization energy upon Lewis base coordination, quantum chemical calculations revealed that the absence of π donation from the triptycene aryl rings to the boron vacant pz orbital is one of the main reasons for its high Lewis acidity.

Pushing the Lewis Acidity Boundaries of Boron Compounds With Non-Planar Triarylboranes Derived from Triptycenes.

Bending the planar trigonal boron center of triphenylborane by connecting its aryl rings with carbon or phosphorus linkers gave access to a series of 9-boratriptycene derivatives with unprecedented structures and reactivities. NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction of the Lewis adducts of these non-planar boron Lewis acids with weak Lewis base revealed particularly strong covalent bond formation. The first Lewis adduct of a trivalent boron compounds with the Tf2 N- anion illustrates the unrivaled Lewis acidity of these species. Increasing the pyramidalization of the boron center and using a cationic phosphonium linker resulted in an exceptional enhancement of Lewis acidity. Introduction of a phosphorus and a boron atom at each edge of a triptycene framework, allowed access to new bifunctional Lewis acid-base 9-phospha-10-boratriptycenes featuring promising reactivity for the activation of carbon-halogen bonds.

Borinic Acid Catalysed Reduction of Tertiary Amides with Hydrosilanes: A Mild and Chemoselective Synthesis of Amines.

A reduction of various aryl, alkyl, and α,ß-unsaturated amides with phenylsilane, catalysed by a borinic acid, is reported. The unprecedented reaction was carried out under very mild conditions and led to useful amines. Furthermore, the reaction tolerates a variety of functional groups. Initial investigations implicated that an intermediate diarylhydroborane is involved in the reaction mechanism.

Access to Fluoropyrrolidines by Intramolecular Aza-Michael Addition Reaction.

Study of the intramolecular aza-Michael addition reaction from an aminofluorovinylsulfone opens a new route for the synthesis of pyrrolidine derivatives. An unexpected diastereoselective cyclization reaction was observed, leading preferentially to the anti-N-benzylpyrrolidine sulfone. The resulting sulfone was reacted with aldehydes to access ß-substituted α-fluoroalkenyl pyrrolidines in one step.