Optical and electronic properties of air-stable organoboron compounds with strongly electron-accepting bis(fluoromesityl)boryl groups

Three compounds with phenyl (1), 4-tert-butylphenyl (2) and 4-N,N-diphenylaminophenyl (3) groups attached to bis(fluoromesityl)boryl ((FMes)₂B) through B–C bonds have been prepared. The restricted rotation about the B–C bonds of boron-bonded aryl rings in solution has been studied by variable-temperature ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy, and through-space F–F coupling has been observed for 3 at low temperature. Steric congestion inhibits binding of 1 by Lewis bases DABCO and tBu₃P and the activation of H₂ in their presence. Photophysical and electrochemical studies have been carried out on 2, 3, and an analogue of 3 containing a bis(mesityl)boryl ((Mes)₂B) group, namely 4. Both 2 and 3 show bright emission in nonpolar solvents and in the solid-state, very strong electron-accepting ability as measured by cyclic voltammetry, and good air-stability. In addition, 2 displayed unusually long-lived emission (τ = 2.47 s) in 2-MeTHF at 77 K. The much stronger acceptor strength of (FMes)₂B than (Mes)₂B leads to significantly red-shifted emission in solution and the solid state, stronger emission solvatochromism, and significantly lower reduction potentials. Theoretical calculations confirm that 2 and 3 tend to form highly twisted excited states with good conjugation between one FMes group and the boron atom, which correlate well with their blue-shifted solid-state emissions and low k _r values in solution.     

"One-pot" tandem C-H borylation/1,4-conjugate addition/reduction sequence

A microwave-assisted, one-pot, iridium-catalyzed aromatic C-H borylation/rhodium-catalyzed 1,4-conjugate addition sequence provides a highly robust protocol suitable for high-throughput array synthesis. Selective formation of either β-aryl-substituted ketones or the corresponding alcohols can be achieved in good overall yields by simple variation of the reaction conditions.     

Density functional theory studies on the mechanism of the reduction of CO2 to CO catalyzed by copper(I) boryl complexes

The detailed reaction mechanism for the reduction of CO2 to CO catalyzed by (NHC)Cu(boryl) complexes (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) was studied with the aid of DFT by calculating the relevant intermediates and transition state structures. Our DFT calculations show that the reaction occurs through CO2 insertion into the Cu-B bond to give a Cu-OC(=O)-boryl species (i.e., containing Cu-O and C-B bonds), and subsequent boryl migration from C to O, followed by alpha-bond metathesis between pinB-Bpin (B2pin2, pin = pinacolate = OCMe2CMe2O) and (NHC)Cu(OBpin). The overall reaction is exergonic by 38.0 kcal/mol. It is the nucleophilicity of the Cu-B bond, a function of the very strong alpha-donor properties of the boryl ligand, rather than the oxophilicity of boron, which determines the direction of the CO2 insertion process. The boryl migration from C to O, which releases the product CO, is the rate-determining step and involves the "vacant" orbital orbital on boron. The (NHC)Cu(boryl) complexes show unique activity in the catalytic process. For the analogous (NHC)Cu(alkyl) complexes, the CO2 insertion into the Cu-C bond giving a copper acetate intermediate occurs with a readily achievable barrier. However, the elimination of CO from the acetate intermediate through a methyl migration from C to O is energetically inaccessible.     

Small molecule chemisorption on indium-tin oxide surfaces: enhancing probe molecule electron-transfer rates and the performance of organic light-emitting diodes

Indium-tin oxide (ITO) surfaces have been modified by chemisorption of carboxylic acid functionalized small molecules: ferrocene dicarboxylic acid (1), 3-thiophene acetic acid (2), and 6-{4-[{4'-[[4-(5-carboxy-pentyloxy)-phenyl]-(4-methoxy-phenyl)-amino]-biphenyl-4-yl}-(4-methoxy-phenyl)-amino]-phenoxy}-hexanoic acid (p-OMe)2-TPD-(C5-COOH)2) (3). Voltammetrically determined surface coverages of 1-3 increased in two stages, the first stage completing in minutes, the latter stage taking several hours. Electron-transfer rate coefficients, kS, for the probe molecule ferrocene in acetonitrile likewise increased in two stages with increasing surface coverages of 1, 2, and 3. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of In2O3 powders, exposed for long periods to ethanol solutions of each modifier, confirmed the formation of indium oxalate-like surface species. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of carboxy-terminated alkanethiol-modified gold surfaces, exposed to these same In2O3(powder)/small molecule modifier solutions, showed the capture of trace levels of indium as a result of the chemisorption of these small molecules, suggesting that slow etching of the ITO surface also occurs during the chemisorption event. Conventional aluminum quinolate/bis-triarylamine organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) created on ITO surfaces modified with 1, 2, and 3, with and without an overlayer of PEDOT:PSS (a poly(thiophene)/poly(stryenesulfonate) ITO modifier), showed leakage currents lowered by several orders of magnitude and an increase in OLED device efficiency.     

Two contrasting ethynyl hydroboration pathways in the formation of a novel tris-hydroboration product from reaction of dimesitylborane with 2,5-diethynylpyridine

Reaction of 2,5-diethynylpyridine with dimesitylborane, [(Mes)(2)BH](2)(Mes = mesityl = 2,4,6-Me(3)C(6)H(2)), gave the unexpected tris-hydroboration product 1-[(Mes)(2)B]-2-[Z-1-[(Mes)(2)B]ethylidene]-5-[E-[(Mes)(2)B]vinyl]-1,2-dihydropyridine, which has been structurally characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.     

A mixed-valence bis(diarylamino)stilbene: crystal structure and comparison of electronic coupling with biphenyl and tolane analogues

The E-4,4'-bis[di(p-anisyl)amino]stilbene cation is a class-III mixed-valence species with electronic coupling comparable to that in its biphenyl-bridged analogue, whereas its tolane-bridged analogue belongs to class II.     

Theoretical study of reaction pathways for the rhodium phosphine-catalysed borylation of C-H bonds with pinacolborane

The reaction mechanism of the rhodium-phosphine catalysed borylation of methyl-substituted arenes using pinacolborane (HBpin) has been investigated theoretically using DFT calculations at the B3PW91 level. Factors affecting selectivity for benzylic vs. aromatic C-H bond activation have been examined. It was found that [Rh(PR3)2(H)] is the active species which oxidatively adds the C-H bond leading to an eta3-benzyl complex which is the key to determining the unusual benzylic regioselectivity observed experimentally for this catalyst system. Subsequent reaction with HBpin leads to a [Rh(PR3)2(eta3-benzyl)(H)(Bpin)] complex from which B-C reductive elimination provides product and regenerates the catalyst. The electrophilic nature of the boryl ligand assists in the reductive elimination process. In contrast to Ir(L)2(boryl)3-based catalysts, for which Ir(III)-Ir(V) cycles have been proposed, the Rh(I)-Rh(III) cycle is operating with the system addressed herein.     

Activation of

Reversible C(6)F(5) transfer takes place between the boron centers in the anion formed by methide abstraction from [MeZr{N(SiMe(3))(2)}(3)] or [Cp(2)ZrMe(2)] (L(n)M-CH(3) in the reaction scheme) by the perfluorinated diborane 1. The solution chemistry of the metallocenium ion pairs formed from 1 and [Cp(2)ZrMe(2)] is correlated with the observed ethylene polymerization behavior of 1 in comparison to the monoborane B(C(6)F(5))(3), the related diborane 1,2-C(6)H(4)[B(C(6)F(5))(2)](2), and the 9,10-diboraanthracene compound 9,10-(C(6)F(5))(2)C(12)B(2)F(8).     

Metal Cluster Terminated “Molecular Wires”

The gold complexes Au(C≡CC₆H₄C≡CC₆H₄Me)(PPh₃) (3) and {Au(PPh₃)}₂(μ-C≡CC₆H₄C≡CC₆H₄C≡CC₆H₄C≡C) (6), prepared from the reaction of AuCl(PPh₃) with the corresponding terminal or trimethylsilyl protected alkynes, react readily with Ru₃(CO)₁₀(μ-dppm) to afford phenylene ethynylene derivatives featuring the Ru₃(μ-AuPPh₃)(μ-C₂R)(CO)₇ cluster “end-caps”. The hydrido cluster Ru₃(μ-H)(μ-C₂C₆H₄C≡CC₆H₄Me)(CO)₇ (4a) has also been obtained. There are significant differences in the absorption spectra of the organic precursors, the gold complexes and the clusters indicate a mixing of electronic states between the cluster and phenylene ethynylene moieties, while the presence of the Ru₃ and in particular Ru₃(μ-AuPPh₃) cluster end-caps leads to a quenching of the phenylene ethynylene centred emission. The crystallographically determined structures of 3, 4a and Ru₃(μ-AuPPh₃) (μ-C₂C₆H₄C≡CC₆H₄Me)(CO)₇ (4b) are reported.Dedicated to Professor B.F.G. Johnson, one of the pioneers of cluster chemistry, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field.