Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.139, No.16, 5692-5695, 2017
Catalytic B-C Coupling by Si/B Exchange: A Versatile Route to pi-Conjugated Organoborane Molecules, Oligomers, and Polymers
Conjugated organoboranes have emerged as attractive-hybrid materials for optoelectronic applications. Herein, a highly efficient, environmentally benign catalytic B-C bond formation method is presented that uses organosilicon compounds, dibromoboranes, and the metal-free organocatalyst Me3SiNTf2. This Si/B exchange approach has been successfully applied to the synthesis of arylborane molecules 4a-c, oligomers 8a,b, and polymers 8a',b'. Photophysical investigations, supported by TD-DFT calculations, reveal highly effective pi-conjugation in thienyl- and furylborane species; the latter are also highly emissive.