Polycationic Redox-Active Cyclophanes with Integrated Electron-Rich Diboron Units

Boron-Nitrogen Lewis Pairs in the Assembly of Supramolecular Macrocycles, Molecular Cages, Polymers, and 3D Materials

Covering an exceptionally wide range of bond strengths, the dynamic nature and facile tunability of dative B-N bonds is highly attractive when it comes to the assembly of supramolecular polymers and materials. This Minireview offers an overview of advances in the development of functional materials where Lewis pairs (LPs) play a key role in their assembly and critically influence their properties. Specifically, we describe the reversible assembly of linear polymers with interesting optical, electronic and catalytic properties, discrete macrocycles and molecular cages that take up diverse guest molecules and undergo structural changes triggered by external stimuli, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with intriguing interlocked structures that can embed and separate gases such as CO2 and acetylene, and soft polymer networks that serve as recyclable, self-healing, and responsive thermosets, gels and elastomeric materials.

Derivatization of an especially electron-rich diborane

Starting with electron-rich ditriflato-diborane B₂(hpp)₂(OTf)₂ (hpp = 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-2H-pyrimido[1,2-α]pyrimidinate), novel symmetric and unsymmetric diboranes B₂(hpp)₂X₂ and B₂(hpp)₂XY with X,Y = Br, NCS, N₃ or OTf are synthesized by substitution reactions with S_N1 mechanisms. The stability of the unsymmetric diboranes with respect to dismutation equilibria is evaluated.