Neutral Diboraacenes: Harnessing the Power of Cooperating, Spatially-Separated Subvalent Boron Atoms

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Holger Braunschweig
• Subject Area: Inorganic Molecular Chemistry - Synthesis and Characterisation
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 471418434

The family of two-boron-atom-containing heterocycles, which includes dianionic as well as neutral, carbene-stabilised examples, are emerging as highly reactive species with a wide range of bond-activation abilities and unusual properties. For a number of years we have been developing synthetic routes to neutral, carbene-stabilised diboraacenes, including 1,4-diborabenzenes, 9,10-diboraanthracenes and a 6,13-diborapentacene, and uncovering their fascinating reactivity with main-group, transition-metal and actinide species. This project targets a significant expansion of the frameworks of extended (multicyclic) carbene-stabilised diboraacenes and the study of their electronic properties and reactivity, focusing on the activation of inert small molecules.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants