@article{LindlGuoKrummenacheretal.2021, author = {Lindl, Felix and Guo, Xueying and Krummenacher, Ivo and Rauch, Florian and Rempel, Anna and Paprocki, Valerie and Dellermann, Theresa and Stennett, Tom E. and Lamprecht, Anna and Br{\"u}ckner, Tobias and Radacki, Krzysztof and B{\´e}langer-Chabot, Guillaume and Marder, Todd B. and Lin, Zhenyang and Braunschweig, Holger}, title = {Rethinking Borole Cycloaddition Reactivity}, series = {Chemistry—A European Journal}, volume = {27}, journal = {Chemistry—A European Journal}, number = {43}, doi = {10.1002/chem.202101290}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-256888}, pages = {11226-11233}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Boroles are attracting broad interest for their myriad and diverse applications, including in synthesis, small molecule activation and functional materials. Their properties and reactivity are closely linked to the cyclic conjugated diene system, which has been shown to participate in cycloaddition reactions, such as the Diels-Alder reaction with alkynes. The reaction steps leading to boranorbornadienes, borepins and tricyclic boracyclohexenes from the thermal reaction of boroles with alkynes are seemingly well understood as judged from the literature. Herein, we question the long-established mechanistic picture of pericyclic rearrangements by demonstrating that seven-membered borepins (i. e., heptaphenylborepin and two derivatives substituted with a thienyl and chloride substituent on boron) exist in a dynamic equilibrium with the corresponding bicyclic boranorbornadienes, the direct Diels-Alder products, but are not isolable products from the reactions. Heating gradually converts the isomeric mixtures into fluorescent tricyclic boracyclohexenes, the most stable isomers in the series. Results from mechanistic DFT calculations reveal that the tricyclic compounds derive from the boranorbornadienes and not the borepins, which were previously believed to be intermediates in purely pericyclic processes.}, language = {en} } @article{LenczykRoyOberdorfetal.2019, author = {Lenczyk, Carsten and Roy, Dipak Kumar and Oberdorf, Kai and Nitsch, J{\"o}rn and Dewhurst, Rian D. and Radacki, Krzysztof and Halet, Jean-Fran{\c{c}}ois and Marder, Todd B. and Bickelhaupt, Matthias and Braunschweig, Holger}, title = {Toward Transition-Metal-Templated Construction of Arylated B\(_{4}\) Chains by Dihydroborane Dehydrocoupling}, series = {Chemistry - A European Journal}, volume = {25}, journal = {Chemistry - A European Journal}, number = {72}, doi = {10.1002/chem.201904772}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-214324}, pages = {16544-16549}, year = {2019}, abstract = {The reactivity of a diruthenium tetrahydride complex towards three selected dihydroboranes was investigated. The use of [DurBH\(_{2}\)] (Dur=2,3,5,6-Me\(_{4}\)C\(_{6}\)H) and [(Me\(_{3}\)Si)\(_{2}\)NBH\(_{2}\)] led to the formation of bridging borylene complexes of the form [(Cp\(^{*}\)RuH)\(_{2}\)BR] (Cp\(^{*}\)=C\(_{5}\)Me\(_{5}\); 1 a: R=Dur; 1 b: R=N(SiMe\(_{3}\))\(_{2}\)) through oxidative addition of the B-H bonds with concomitant hydrogen liberation. Employing the more electron-deficient dihydroborane [3,5-(CF\(_{3}\))\(_{2}\)-C\(_{6}\)H\(_{3}\)BH\(_{2}\)] led to the formation of an anionic complex bearing a tetraarylated chain of four boron atoms, namely Li(THF)\(_{4}\)[(Cp\(^{*}\)Ru)\(_{2}\)B\(_{4}\)H\(_{5}\)(3,5-(CF\(_{3}\))\(_{2}\)C\(_{6}\)H\(_{3}\))\(_{4}\)] (4), through an unusual, incomplete threefold dehydrocoupling process. A comparative theoretical investigation of the bonding in a simplified model of 4 and the analogous complex nido-[1,2(Cp\(^{*}\)Ru)\(_{2}\)(μ-H)B\(_{4}\)H\(_{9}\)] (I) indicates that there appear to be no classical σ-bonds between the boron atoms in complex I, whereas in the case of 4 the B\(_{4}\) chain better resembles a network of three B-B σ bonds, the central bond being significantly weaker than the other two.}, language = {en} } @article{LenczykRoyNitschetal.2019, author = {Lenczyk, Carsten and Roy, Dipak Kumar and Nitsch, J{\"o}rn and Radacki, Krzysztof and Rauch, Florian and Dewhurst, Rian D. and Bickelhaupt, F. Matthias and Marder, Todd B. and Braunschweig, Holger}, title = {Steric Effects Dictate the Formation of Terminal Arylborylene Complexes of Ruthenium from Dihydroboranes}, series = {Chemistry - A European Journal}, volume = {25}, journal = {Chemistry - A European Journal}, number = {59}, issn = {1521-3765}, doi = {10.1002/chem.201902890}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-219537}, pages = {13566-13571}, year = {2019}, abstract = {The steric and electronic properties of aryl substituents in monoaryl borohydrides (Li[ArBH\(_3\)]) and dihydroboranes were systematically varied and their reactions with [Ru(PCy\(_3\))\(_2\)HCl(H\(_2\))] (Cy: cyclohexyl) were studied, resulting in bis(σ)-borane or terminal borylene complexes of ruthenium. These variations allowed for the investigation of the factors involved in the activation of dihydroboranes in the synthesis of terminal borylene complexes. The complexes were studied by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction analysis, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The experimental and computational results suggest that the ortho-substitution of the aryl groups is necessary for the formation of terminal borylene complexes.}, language = {en} } @article{KrebsHaehnelKrummenacheretal.2021, author = {Krebs, Johannes and Haehnel, Martin and Krummenacher, Ivo and Friedrich, Alexandra and Braunschweig, Holger and Finze, Maik and Ji, Lei and Marder, Todd B.}, title = {Synthesis and Structure of an o-Carboranyl-Substituted Three-Coordinate Borane Radical Anion}, series = {Chemistry—A European Journal}, volume = {27}, journal = {Chemistry—A European Journal}, number = {31}, doi = {10.1002/chem.202100938}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-256841}, pages = {8159-8167}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Bis(1-(4-tolyl)-carboran-2-yl)-(4-tolyl)-borane [(1-(4-MeC\(_{6}\)H\(_{4}\))-closo-1,2-C\(_{2}\)B\(_{10}\)H\(_{10}\)-2-)\(_{2}\)(4-MeC\(_{6}\)H\(_{4}\))B] (1), a new bis(o-carboranyl)-(R)-borane was synthesised by lithiation of the o-carboranyl precursor and subsequent salt metathesis reaction with (4-tolyl)BBr\(_{2}\). Cyclic voltammetry experiments on 1 show multiple distinct reduction events with a one-electron first reduction. In a selective reduction experiment the corresponding paramagnetic radical anion 1\(^{.-}\) was isolated and characterized. Single-crystal structure analyses allow an in-depth comparison of 1, 1\(^{.-}\), their calculated geometries, and the S\(_{1}\) excited state of 1. Photophysical studies of 1 show a charge transfer (CT) emission with low quantum yield in solution but a strong increase in the solid state. TD-DFT calculations were used to identify transition-relevant orbitals.}, language = {en} } @article{KoleMerzAmaretal.2021, author = {Kole, Goutam Kumar and Merz, Julia and Amar, Anissa and Fontaine, Bruno and Boucekkine, Abdou and Nitsch, J{\"o}rn and Lorenzen, Sabine and Friedrich, Alexandra and Krummenacher, Ivo and Košćak, Marta and Braunschweig, Holger and Piantanida, Ivo and Halet, Jean-Fran{\c{c}}ois and M{\"u}ller-Buschbaum, Klaus and Marder, Todd B.}, title = {2- and 2,7-substituted para-N-methylpyridinium pyrenes: syntheses, molecular and electronic structures, photophysical, electrochemical, and spectroelectrochemical properties and binding to double-stranded (ds) DNA}, series = {Chemistry - A European Journal}, volume = {27}, journal = {Chemistry - A European Journal}, number = {8}, doi = {10.1002/chem.202004748}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-256642}, pages = {2837-2853}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Two N-methylpyridinium compounds and analogous N-protonated salts of 2- and 2,7-substituted 4-pyridyl-pyrene compounds were synthesised and their crystal structures, photophysical properties both in solution and in the solid state, electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical properties were studied. Upon methylation or protonation, the emission maxima are significantly bathochromically shifted compared to the neutral compounds, although the absorption maxima remain almost unchanged. As a result, the cationic compounds show very large apparent Stokes shifts of up to 7200 cm\(^{-1}\). The N-methylpyridinium compounds have a single reduction at ca. -1.5 V vs. Fc/Fc\(^+\) in MeCN. While the reduction process was reversible for the 2,7-disubstituted compound, it was irreversible for the mono-substituted one. Experimental findings are complemented by DFT and TD-DFT calculations. Furthermore, the N-methylpyridinium compounds show strong interactions with calf thymus (ct)-DNA, presumably by intercalation, which paves the way for further applications of these multi-functional compounds as potential DNA-bioactive agents.}, language = {en} } @article{KoleKošćakAmaretal.2022, author = {Kole, Goutam Kumar and Košćak, Marta and Amar, Anissa and Majhen, Dragomira and Božinović, Ksenija and Brkljaca, Zlatko and Ferger, Matthias and Michail, Evripidis and Lorenzen, Sabine and Friedrich, Alexandra and Krummenacher, Ivo and Moos, Michael and Braunschweig, Holger and Boucekkine, Abdou and Lambert, Christoph and Halet, Jean-Fran{\c{c}}ois and Piantanida, Ivo and M{\"u}ller-Buschbaum, Klaus and Marder, Todd B.}, title = {Methyl Viologens of Bis-(4'-Pyridylethynyl)Arenes - Structures, Photophysical and Electrochemical Studies, and their Potential Application in Biology}, series = {Chemistry - A European Journal}, volume = {28}, journal = {Chemistry - A European Journal}, number = {40}, doi = {10.1002/chem.202200753}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-287126}, year = {2022}, abstract = {A series of bis-(4'-pyridylethynyl)arenes (arene=benzene, tetrafluorobenzene, and anthracene) were synthesized and their bis-N-methylpyridinium compounds were investigated as a class of π-extended methyl viologens. Their structures were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction, and their photophysical and electrochemical properties (cyclic voltammetry), as well as their interactions with DNA/RNA were investigated. The dications showed bathochromic shifts in emission compared to the neutral compounds. The neutral compounds showed very small Stokes shifts, which are a little larger for the dications. All of the compounds showed very short fluorescence lifetimes (<4 ns). The neutral compound with an anthracene core has a quantum yield of almost unity. With stronger acceptors, the analogous bis-N-methylpyridinium compound showed a larger two-photon absorption cross-section than its neutral precursor. All of the dicationic compounds interact with DNA/RNA; while the compounds with benzene and tetrafluorobenzene cores bind in the grooves, the one with an anthracene core intercalates as a consequence of its large, condensed aromatic linker moiety, and it aggregates within the polynucleotide when in excess over DNA/RNA. Moreover, all cationic compounds showed highly specific CD spectra upon binding to ds-DNA/RNA, attributed to the rare case of forcing the planar, achiral molecule into a chiral rotamer, and negligible toxicity toward human cell lines at ≤10 μM concentrations. The anthracene-analogue exhibited intracellular accumulation within lysosomes, preventing its interaction with cellular DNA/RNA. However, cytotoxicity was evident at 1 μM concentration upon exposure to light, due to singlet oxygen generation within cells. These multi-faceted features, in combination with its two-photon absorption properties, suggest it to be a promising lead compound for development of novel light-activated theranostic agents.}, language = {en} } @article{HaerterichMatlerDewhurstetal.2023, author = {H{\"a}rterich, Marcel and Matler, Alexander and Dewhurst, Rian D. and Sachs, Andreas and Oppel, Kai and Stoy, Andreas and Braunschweig, Holger}, title = {A step-for-step main-group replica of the Fischer carbene synthesis at a borylene carbonyl}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {14}, journal = {Nature Communications}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-023-36251-3}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357270}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The Fischer carbene synthesis, involving the conversion of a transition metal (TM)-bound CO ligand to a carbene ligand of the form [=C(OR')R] (R, R' = organyl groups), is one of the seminal reactions in the history of organometallic chemistry. Carbonyl complexes of p-block elements, of the form [E(CO)n] (E = main-group fragment), are much less abundant than their TM cousins; this scarcity and the general instability of low-valent p-block species means that replicating the historical reactions of TM carbonyls is often very difficult. Here we present a step-for-step replica of the Fischer carbene synthesis at a borylene carbonyl involving nucleophilic attack at the carbonyl carbon followed by electrophilic quenching at the resultant acylate oxygen atom. These reactions provide borylene acylates and alkoxy-/silyloxy-substituted alkylideneboranes, main-group analogues of the archetypal transition metal acylate and Fischer carbene families, respectively. When either the incoming electrophile or the boron center has a modest steric profile, the electrophile instead attacks at the boron atom, leading to carbene-stabilized acylboranes - boron analogues of the well-known transition metal acyl complexes. These results constitute faithful main-group replicas of a number of historical organometallic processes and pave the way to further advances in the field of main-group metallomimetics.}, language = {en} } @article{HuangWangDewhurstetal.2020, author = {Huang, Zhenguo and Wang, Suning and Dewhurst, Rian D. and Ignat'ev, Nikolai V. and Finze, Maik and Braunschweig, Holger}, title = {Boron: Its Role in Energy-Related Processes and Applications}, series = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition}, volume = {59}, journal = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition}, number = {23}, doi = {10.1002/anie.201911108}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-218514}, pages = {8800 -- 8816}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Boron's unique position in the Periodic Table, that is, at the apex of the line separating metals and nonmetals, makes it highly versatile in chemical reactions and applications. Contemporary demand for renewable and clean energy as well as energy-efficient products has seen boron playing key roles in energy-related research, such as 1) activating and synthesizing energy-rich small molecules, 2) storing chemical and electrical energy, and 3) converting electrical energy into light. These applications are fundamentally associated with boron's unique characteristics, such as its electron-deficiency and the availability of an unoccupied p orbital, which allow the formation of a myriad of compounds with a wide range of chemical and physical properties. For example, boron's ability to achieve a full octet of electrons with four covalent bonds and a negative charge has led to the synthesis of a wide variety of borate anions of high chemical and electrochemical stability—in particular, weakly coordinating anions. This Review summarizes recent advances in the study of boron compounds for energy-related processes and applications.}, language = {en} } @article{HuangHuKrummenacheretal.2022, author = {Huang, Mingming and Hu, Jiefeng and Krummenacher, Ivo and Friedrich, Alexandra and Braunschweig, Holger and Westcott, Stephen A. and Radius, Udo and Marder, Todd B.}, title = {Base-Mediated Radical Borylation of Alkyl Sulfones}, series = {Chemistry—A European Journal}, volume = {28}, journal = {Chemistry—A European Journal}, number = {3}, doi = {10.1002/chem.202103866}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-257281}, pages = {e202103866}, year = {2022}, abstract = {A practical and direct method was developed for the production of versatile alkyl boronate esters via transition metal-free borylation of primary and secondary alkyl sulfones. The key to the success of the strategy is the use of bis(neopentyl glycolato) diboron (B\(_{2}\)neop\(_{2}\)), with a stoichiometric amount of base as a promoter. The practicality and industrial potential of this protocol are highlighted by its wide functional group tolerance, the late-stage modification of complex compounds, no need for further transesterification, and operational simplicity. Radical clock, radical trap experiments, and EPR studies were conducted which show that the borylation process involves radical intermediates.}, language = {en} } @article{HorrerKrahfussLubitzetal.2020, author = {Horrer, G{\"u}nther and Krahfuß, Mirjam J. and Lubitz, Katharina and Krummenacher, Ivo and Braunschweig, Holger and Radius, Udo}, title = {N-Heterocyclic Carbene and Cyclic (Alkyl)(amino)carbene Complexes of Titanium(IV) and Titanium(III)}, series = {European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry}, volume = {2020}, journal = {European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry}, number = {3}, doi = {10.1002/ejic.201901207}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-208725}, pages = {281-291}, year = {2020}, abstract = {The reaction of one and two equivalents of the N -heterocyclic carbene IMes [IMes = 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethyl-phenyl)imidazolin-2-ylidene] or the cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene cAAC\(^{Me}\) [cAAC\(^{Me}\) = 1-(2,6-diisopropyl-phenyl)-3,3,5,5-tetra-methylpyrrolidin-2-ylidene] with [TiCl\(_{4}\)] in n -hexane results in the formation of mono- and bis-carbene complexes [TiCl\(_{4}\)(IMes)] 1 , [TiCl\(_{4}\)(IMes)2] 2 , [TiCl\(_{4}\)(cAAC\(^{Me}\))] 3 , and [TiCl\(_{4}\)(cAAC\(^{Me}\))\(_{2}\)] 4 , respectively. For comparison, the titanium(IV) NHC complex [TiCl\(_{4}\)(Ii Pr\(^{Me}\))] 5 (Ii Pr\(^{Me}\) = 1,3-diisopropyl-4,5-dimethyl-imidazolin-2-ylidene) has been synthesized and structurally characterized. The reaction of [TiCl\(_{4}\)(IMes)] 1 with PMe\(_{3}\) affords the mixed substituted complex [TiCl\(_{4}\)(IMes)(PMe\(_{3}\))] 6 . The reactions of [TiCl\(_{3}\)(THF)\(_{3}\)] with two equivalents of the carbenes IMes and cAAC\(^{Me}\) in n -hexane lead to the clean formation of the titanium(III) complexes [TiCl\(_{3}\)(IMes)\(_{2}\)] 7 and [TiCl\(_{3}\)(cAAC\(^{Me}\))\(_{2}\)] 8 . Compounds 1 -8 have been completely characterized by elemental analysis, IR and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and for 2 -5 , 7 and 8 by X-ray diffraction. Magnetometry in solution, EPR and UV/Vis spectroscopy and DFT calculations performed on 7 and 8 are indicative of a predominantly metal-centered d\(^{1}\)-radical in both cases.}, language = {en} }