@unpublished{ArrowsmithMattockBoehnkeetal.2018,
  author    = {Arrowsmith, Merle and Mattock, James D. and B{\"o}hnke, Julian and Krummenacher, Ivo and Vargas, Alfredo and Braunschweig, Holger},
  title     = {Direct access to a cAAC-supported dihydrodiborene and its dianion},
  series = {Chemical Communications},
  journal   = {Chemical Communications},
  doi       = {10.1039/C8CC01580E},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164276},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {The two-fold reduction of (cAAC)BHX\(_2\) (cAAC = 1-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3,3,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidin-2-ylidene; X = Cl, Br) provides a facile, high-yielding route to the dihydrodiborene (cAAC)\(_2\)B\(_2\)H\(_2\). The (chloro)hydroboryl anion reduction intermediate was successfully isolated using a crown ether. Overreduction of the diborene to its dianion [(cAAC)\(_2\)B\(_2\)H\(_2\)]\(^{2-}\) causes a decrease in the B-B bond order whereas the B-C bond orders increase.},
  language  = {en}
}
@unpublished{StennettMattockVollertetal.2018,
  author    = {Stennett, Tom and Mattock, James and Vollert, Ivonne and Vargas, Alfredo and Braunschweig, Holger},
  title     = {Unsymmetrical, Cyclic Diborenes and Thermal Rearrangement to a Borylborylene},
  series = {Angewandte Chemie, International Edition},
  volume    = {57},
  journal   = {Angewandte Chemie, International Edition},
  doi       = {10.1002/anie.201800671},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-160258},
  pages     = {4098-4102},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Cyclic diboranes(4) based on a chelating monoanionic, benzylphosphine linker were prepared by boron-silicon exchange between arylsilanes and B\(_2\)Br\(_4\). Coordination of Lewis bases to the remaining sp\(^2\) boron atom yielded unsymmetrical sp\(^3\)-sp\(^3\) diboranes, which were reduced with KC\(_8\) to their corresponding trans-diborenes. These compounds were studied by a combination of spectroscopic methods, X-ray diffraction and DFT calculations. PMe\(_3\)-stabilized diborene 6 was found to undergo thermal rearrangement to gem- diborene 8. DFT calculations on 8 reveal a polar boron-boron bond, and indicate that the compound is best described as a borylborylene.},
  language  = {en}
}
@unpublished{WangArrowsmithBoehnkeetal.2017,
  author    = {Wang, Sunewang R. and Arrowsmith, Merle and B{\"o}hnke, Julian and Braunschweig, Holger and Dellermann, Theresa and Dewhurst, Rian D. and Kelch, Hauke and Krummenacher, Ivo and Mattock, James D. and M{\"u}ssig, Jonas H. and Thiess, Torsten and Vargas, Alfredo and Zhang, Jiji},
  title     = {Engineering a Small HOMO-LUMO Gap and Intramolecular B-B Hydroarylation by Diborene/Anthracene Orbital Intercalation},
  series = {Angewandte Chemie, International Edition},
  volume    = {56},
  journal   = {Angewandte Chemie, International Edition},
  number    = {27},
  doi       = {10.1002/anie.201704063},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148126},
  pages     = {8009-8013},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {The diborene 1 was synthesized by reduction of a mixture of 1,2-di-9-anthryl-1,2-dibromodiborane(4) (6) and trimethylphosphine with potassium graphite. The X-ray structure of 1 shows the two anthryl rings to be parallel and their π(C\(_{14}\)) systems perpendicular to the diborene π(B=B) system. This twisted conformation allows for intercalation of the relatively high-lying π(B=B) orbital and the low-lying π* orbital of the anthryl moiety with no significant conjugation, resulting in a small HOMO-LUMO gap (HLG) and ultimately an unprecedented anthryl B-B bond hydroarylation. The HLG of 1 was estimated to be 1.57 eV from the onset of the long wavelength band in its UV-vis absorption spectrum (THF, λ\(_{onset}\) = 788 nm). The oxidation of 1 with elemental selenium afforded diboraselenirane 8 in quantitative yield. By oxidative abstraction of one phosphine ligand by another equivalent of elemental selenium, the B-B and C\(^1\)-H bonds of 8 were cleaved to give the cyclic 1,9-diboraanthracene 9.},
  language  = {en}
}
@unpublished{MuessigThalerDewhurstetal.2019,
  author    = {Muessig, Jonas H. and Thaler, Melanie and Dewhurst, Rian D. and Paprocki, Valerie and Seufert, Jens and Mattock, James D. and Vargas, Alfredo and Braunschweig, Holger},
  title     = {Phosphine-Stabilized Diiododiborenes: Isolable Diborenes with Six Labile Bonds},
  series = {Angewandte Chemie, International Edition},
  journal   = {Angewandte Chemie, International Edition},
  doi       = {10.1002/anie.201814230},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-178608},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {The lability of B=B, B-P and B-halide bonds is combined in the syntheses of the first diiododiborenes. In a series of reactivity tests, these diiododiborenes demonstrate cleavage of all six of their central bonds in different ways, leading to products of B=B hydrogenation and dihalogenation as well as halide exchange.},
  language  = {en}
}
@unpublished{StennettMattockPentecostetal.2018,
  author    = {Stennett, Tom and Mattock, James and Pentecost, Leanne and Vargas, Alfredo and Braunschweig, Holger},
  title     = {Chelated Diborenes and their Inverse-Electron-Demand Diels- Alder Reactions with Dienes},
  series = {Angewandte Chemie, International Edition},
  journal   = {Angewandte Chemie, International Edition},
  doi       = {10.1002/anie.201809217},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-178268},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {A doubly base-stabilized diborane based on a benzylphosphine linker was prepared by a salt elimination reaction between 2-LiC\(_6\)H\(_4\)CH\(_2\)PCy\(_2\).Et\(_2\)O and B\(_2\)Br\(_4\). This compound was reduced with KC8 to its corresponding diborene, with the benzylphosphine forming a five-membered chelate. The diborene reacts with butadiene, 2-trimethylsiloxy-1,3-butadiene and isoprene to form 4,5-diboracyclohexenes, which interconvert between their 1,1- (geminal) and 1,2- (vicinal) chelated isomers. The 1,1-chelated diborene undergoes a halide-catalysed isomerisation into its thermodynamically favoured 1,2-isomer, which undergoes Diels-Alder reactions more slowly than the kinetic product.},
  language  = {en}
}
@unpublished{HermannArrowsmithTrujilloGonzalezetal.2020,
  author    = {Hermann, Alexander and Arrowsmith, Merle and Trujillo-Gonzalez, Daniel and Jim{\´e}nez-Halla, J. Oscar C. and Vargas, Alfredo and Braunschweig, Holger},
  title     = {Trapping of a Borirane Intermediate in the Reductive Coupling of an Arylborane to a Diborene},
  series = {Journal of the American Chemical Society},
  journal   = {Journal of the American Chemical Society},
  doi       = {10.1021/jacs.0c02306},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-203140},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {The reductive coupling of an NHC-stabilized aryldibromoborane yields a mixture of trans- and cis-diborenes in which the aryl groups are coplanar with the diborene core. Under dilute reduction conditions two diastereomers of a borirane-borane intermediate are isolated, which upon further reduction give rise to the aforementioned diborene mixture. DFT calculations suggest a mechanism proceeding via nucleophilic attack of a dicoordinate borylene intermediate on the aryl ring and subsequent intramolecular B-B bond formation.},
  language  = {en}
}
@unpublished{WangArrowsmithBraunschweigetal.2017,
  author    = {Wang, Sunewang Rixin and Arrowsmith, Merle and Braunschweig, Holger and Dewhurst, Rian and D{\"o}mling, Michael and Mattock, James and Pranckevicius, Conor and Vargas, Alfredo},
  title     = {Monomeric 16-Electron π-Diborene Complexes of Zn(II) and Cd(II)},
  series = {Journal of the American Chemical Society},
  journal   = {Journal of the American Chemical Society},
  doi       = {10.1021/jacs.7b06644},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-153058},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Despite the prevalence of stable π-complexes of most d\(^{10}\) metals, such as Cu(I) and Ni(0), with ethylene and other olefins, complexation of d\(^{10}\) Zn(II) to simple olefins is too weak to form isolable complexes due to the metal ion's limited capacity for π-backdonation. By employing more strongly donating π- ligands, namely neutral diborenes with a high-lying π(B=B) or- bital, monomeric 16-electron M(II)-diborene (M = Zn, Cd) π- complexes were synthesized in good yields. Metal-B2 π- interactions in both the solid and solution state were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analyses and their solution NMR and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, respectively. The M(II) centers adopt a trigonal planar geometry and interact almost symmetrically with both boron atoms. The MB2 planes significantly twist out of the MX\(_2\) planes about the M-centroid(B-B) vector, with angles rang- ing from 47.0° to 85.5°, depending on the steric interactions be- tween the diborene ligand and the MX\(_2\) fragment.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{EwingDellermannAngelWongetal.2020,
  author    = {Ewing, William C. and Dellermann, Theresa and Angel Wong, Y. T. and Mattock, James D. and Vargas, Alfredo and Bryce, David L. and Dewhurst, Rian D. and Braunschweig, Holger},
  title     = {\(\pi\)-Complexes of Diborynes with Main Group Atoms},
  series = {Chemistry - An Asian Journal},
  volume    = {15},
  journal   = {Chemistry - An Asian Journal},
  number    = {10},
  doi       = {10.1002/asia.202000185},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-214677},
  pages     = {1553 -- 1557},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {We present herein an in-depth study of complexes in which a molecule containing a boron-boron triple bond is bound to tellurate cations. The analysis allows the description of these salts as true π complexes between the B-B triple bond and the tellurium center. These complexes thus extend the well-known Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson model of bonding to compounds made up solely of p block elements. Structural, spectroscopic and computational evidence is offered to argue that a set of recently reported heterocycles consisting of phenyltellurium cations complexed to diborynes bear all the hallmarks of \(\pi\)-complexes in the \(\pi\)-complex/metallacycle continuum envisioned by Joseph Chatt. Described as such, these compounds are unique in representing the extreme of a metal-free continuum with conventional unsaturated three-membered rings (cyclopropenes, azirenes, borirenes) occupying the opposite end.},
  language  = {en}
}