Introduction to Borane Chemistry

The Effect of Carborane Substituents on the Lewis Acidity of Boranes

“…Boranes are classical Lewis acids that are widely used due to their electron deficiency and desire to fill their vacant p orbital in order to satisfy their octet. − The substituents that are bound to the boron center greatly influence the accessibility and energy of the empty p orbital, thereby providing a way to tune the Lewis acidity and steric profile of boranes . The application of trihalo- and trialkylboranes in catalysis is limited in comparison to triaryl species. , While trihaloboranes are generally the most Lewis acidic boranes, their B–X bonds are reactive with many functional groups and are difficult to manipulate due to their moisture sensitivity and volatility; thus, they are not useful for many applications (Figure ).…”

The Effect of Carborane Substituents on the Lewis Acidity of Boranes

“…Boranes are classical Lewis acids that are widely used due to their electron deficiency and desire to fill the vacant p-orbital to satisfy its octet. [1][2][3][4][5][6] The substituents bound to the boron center greatly influence the accessibility and energy of the empty p-orbital providing a handle to tune the Lewis acidity and steric profile. 7 The application of trihalo-and trialkyl-boranes in catalysis is limited in comparison to triaryl-species.…”