The Chemistry of Borylenes and their Products: Reactive Superdonors and Superambiphiles

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Holger Braunschweig
• Subject Area: Inorganic Molecular Chemistry - Synthesis and Characterisation
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 396285167

Borylenes are low-oxidation-state boron compounds that are either highly electron-rich or simultaneously electron-rich and -poor ("superambiphiles"). These properties impart borylenes with fascinating reactivity, however, this chemistry remains underdeveloped, hampering their undeniable synthetic potential. This renewal proposal builds on exciting results from the first funding period and targets both electron-rich tricoordinate borylenes and superambiphilic dicoordinate borylenes, developing new methods for their synthesis and novel examples, uncovering unique reactivity of borylenes that is inaccessible with other reagents, and identifying stand-out performers from among them in terms of synthetic ease and ability to activate challenging substrates.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants