TY - JOUR A1 - Rauch, Florian A1 - Endres, Peter A1 - Friedrich, Alexandra A1 - Sieh, Daniel A1 - Hähnel, Martin A1 - Krummenacher, Ivo A1 - Braunschweig, Holger A1 - Finze, Maik A1 - Ji, Lei A1 - Marder, Todd B. T1 - An Iterative Divergent Approach to Conjugated Starburst Borane Dendrimers JF - Chemistry – A European Journal N2 - Using a new divergent approach, conjugated triarylborane dendrimers were synthesized up to the 2nd generation. The synthetic strategy consists of three steps: 1) functionalization, via iridium catalyzed C−H borylation; 2) activation, via fluorination of the generated boronate ester with K[HF\(_{2}\)] or [N(nBu\(_{4}\))][HF\(_{2}\)]; and 3) expansion, via reaction of the trifluoroborate salts with aryl Grignard reagents. The concept was also shown to be viable for a convergent approach. All but one of the conjugated borane dendrimers exhibit multiple, distinct and reversible reduction potentials, making them potentially interesting materials for applications in molecular accumulators. Based on their photophysical properties, the 1st generation dendrimers exhibit good conjugation over the whole system. However, the conjugation does not increase further upon expansion to the 2nd generation, but the molar extinction coefficients increase linearly with the number of triarylborane subunits, suggesting a potential application as photonic antennas. KW - density functional calculations KW - electron storage KW - luminescence KW - redox KW - triarylborane Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-218345 VL - 26 IS - 57 SP - 12951 EP - 12963 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nees, Samuel A1 - Kupfer, Thomas A1 - Hofmann, Alexander A1 - Braunschweig, Holger T1 - Planar Cyclopenten‐4‐yl Cations: Highly Delocalized π Aromatics Stabilized by Hyperconjugation JF - Angewandte Chemie International Edition N2 - Theoretical studies predicted the planar cyclopenten‐4‐yl cation to be a classical carbocation, and the highest‐energy isomer of C\(_{5}\)H\(_{7}\)\(^{+}\). Hence, its existence has not been verified experimentally so far. We were now able to isolate two stable derivatives of the cyclopenten‐4‐yl cation by reaction of bulky alanes Cp\(^{R}\)AlBr\(_{2}\) with AlBr3. Elucidation of their (electronic) structures by X‐ray diffraction and quantum chemistry studies revealed planar geometries and strong hyperconjugation interactions primarily from the C−Al σ bonds to the empty p orbital of the cationic sp\(^{2}\) carbon center. A close inspection of the molecular orbitals (MOs) and of the anisotropy of current (induced) density (ACID), as well as the evaluation of various aromaticity descriptors indicated distinct aromaticity for these cyclopenten‐4‐yl derivatives, which strongly contrasts the classical description of this system. Here, strong delocalization of π electrons spanning the whole carbocycle has been verified, thus providing rare examples of π aromaticity involving saturated sp\(^{3}\) carbon atoms. KW - ACID KW - carbocations KW - cyclopenten-4-yl cation KW - hyperconjugation KW - π aromaticity Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-218358 VL - 59 IS - 42 SP - 18809 EP - 18815 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rauch, Florian A1 - Fuchs, Sonja A1 - Friedrich, Alexandra A1 - Sieh, Daniel A1 - Krummenacher, Ivo A1 - Braunschweig, Holger A1 - Finze, Maik A1 - Marder, Todd B. T1 - Highly Stable, Readily Reducible, Fluorescent, Trifluoromethylated 9‐Borafluorenes JF - Chemistry – A European Journal N2 - Three different perfluoroalkylated borafluorenes (\(^{F}\)Bf) were prepared and their electronic and photophysical properties were investigated. The systems have four trifluoromethyl moieties on the borafluorene moiety as well as two trifluoromethyl groups at the ortho positions of their exo‐aryl moieties. They differ with regard to the para substituents on their exo‐aryl moieties, being a proton \(^{F}\)Xyl\(^{F}\)Bf, \(^{F}\)Xyl: 2,6‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl), a trifluoromethyl group (\(^{F}\)Mes\(^{F}\)Bf, \(^{F}\)Mes: 2,4,6‐tris(trifluoromethyl)phenyl) or a dimethylamino group (p‐NMe\(_{2}\)‐\(^{F}\)Xyl\(^{F}\)Bf, p‐NMe\(_{2}\)‐\(^{F}\)Xyl: 4‐(dimethylamino)‐2,6‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl), respectively. All derivatives exhibit extraordinarily low reduction potentials, comparable to those of perylenediimides. The most electron‐deficient derivative \(^{F}\)Mes\(^{F}\)Bf was also chemically reduced and its radical anion isolated and characterized. Furthermore, all compounds exhibit very long fluorescent lifetimes of about 250 ns up to 1.6 μs; however, the underlying mechanisms responsible for this differ. The donor‐substituted derivative p‐NMe\(_{2}\)‐\(^{F}\)Xyl\(^{F}\)Bf exhibits thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) from a charge‐transfer (CT) state, whereas the \(^{F}\)Mes\(^{F}\)Bf and FXylFBf borafluorenes exhibit only weakly allowed locally excited (LE) transitions due to their symmetry and low transition‐dipole moments. KW - borafluorenes KW - boron KW - EPR spectroscopy KW - fluorescence KW - heterocycles Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-218390 VL - 26 IS - 56 SP - 12794 EP - 12808 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Huang, Zhenguo A1 - Wang, Suning A1 - Dewhurst, Rian D. A1 - Ignat'ev, Nikolai V. A1 - Finze, Maik A1 - Braunschweig, Holger T1 - Boron: Its Role in Energy‐Related Processes and Applications JF - Angewandte Chemie International Edition N2 - 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. KW - boron KW - electrolytes KW - hydrogen KW - OLEDs KW - small-molecule activation Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-218514 VL - 59 IS - 23 SP - 8800 EP - 8816 ER -