Synthesis and Characterization of Luminescent Polystyrene Derivatives with Sterically Protected Fluorenyl- and Carbazolylborane Moieties

Rapid, iterative syntheses of unsymmetrical di- and triarylboranes from crystalline aryldifluoroboranes

A one-pot procedure to synthesise aryldifluoroboranes, ArBF2, from bench-stable arylsilanes is presented. These ArBF2 react conveniently with aryllithium reagents to form unsymmetrical ArAr'BF and BArAr'Ar'' in high yield. Examples of all three classes of borane have been characterised crystallographically, allowing for elucidation of geometric and crystal packing trends in crystalline ArBF2.

Synthetic Approaches to Triarylboranes from 1885 to 2020

In recent years, research in the fields of optoelectronics, anion sensors and bioimaging agents have been greatly influenced by novel compounds containing triarylborane motifs. Such compounds possess an empty p-orbital at boron which results in useful optical and electronic properties. Such a diversity of applications was not expected when the first triarylborane was reported in 1885. Synthetic approaches to triarylboranes underwent various changes over the following century, some of which are still used in the present day, such as the generally applicable routes developed by Krause et al. in 1922, or by Grisdale et al. in 1972 at Eastman Kodak. Some other developments were not pursued further after their initial reports, such as the synthesis of two triarylboranes bearing three different aromatic groups by Mikhailov et al. in 1958. This review summarizes the development of synthetic approaches to triarylboranes from their first report nearly 135 years ago to the present.

Synthesis by free radical polymerization and properties of BN-polystyrene and BN-poly(vinylbiphenyl)

Free radical polymerization of B-vinyl- and B-styryl-functionalized azaborinine monomers gives organic–inorganic hybrid polymers with distinctly different materials properties compared to the corresponding carbonaceous polystyrene derivatives.

Polymers and the p-block elements

A survey of the state-of-the-art in the development of synthetic methods to incorporate p-block elements into polymers is given. The incorporation of main group elements (groups 13-16) into long chains provides access to materials with fascinating chemical and physical properties imparted by the presence of inorganic groups. Perhaps the greatest impedance to the widespread academic and commercial use of p-block element-containing macromolecules is the synthetic challenge associated with linking inorganic elements into long chains. In recent years, creative methodologies have been developed to incorporate heteroatoms into polymeric structures, with perhaps the greatest advances occurring with hybrid organic-inorganic polymers composed of boron, silicon, phosphorus and sulfur. With these developments, materials are currently being realized that possess exciting chemical, photophysical and thermal properties that are not possible for conventional organic polymers. This review focuses on highlighting the most significant recent advances whilst giving an appropriate background for the general reader. Of particular focus will be advances made over the last two decades, with emphasis on the novel synthetic methodologies employed.

Dicyanovinyl substituted triarylboranes: a rational approach to distinguish fluoride and cyanide ions

Two new dicyanovinyl (DCV) functionalized triarylboranes (Mes2B-π-spacer-DCV, for 1: π-spacer = C6H4, for 2: π-spacer = 2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-phenyl) are reported. The molecular structures of 1 and 2 are similar except for the spacer which connects the boryl and DCV units. This small structural perturbation induces drastic changes in the optical properties of 1 and 2. Compound 2 shows weak dual fluorescence emission in nonpolar solvents and a stronger emission in polar solvents. Compound 1 is weakly fluorescent in polar environments but shows an intense single luminescence peak in less polar environments. Compound 1 exhibits a turn-off fluorescence response for both fluoride and cyanide: in contrast, 2 shows a turn on fluorescence response for both anions with different fluorescence signatures. The NMR titration studies reveal that for compound 2, fluoride binds to the boron centre and cyanide binds to the DCV unit. For compound 1, the fluoride ion binds to the boron center, whereas the CN(-) binds to both the Ar3B and DCV units.

Synthesis and luminescent properties of Lewis base-appended borafluorenes

A series of Lewis base adducts of 9-bromo-9-borafluorene (BrBFl-LB, LB = IPr, IPrCH2, PPh3, and PCy3), parent borafluorenes (HBFl-IPr and HBFl-IPrCH2), and the bisadduct [(DMAP)2BFl]Br were prepared and structurally characterized (IPr = [(HCNDipp)2C:], IPrCH2 = [(HCNDipp)2C═CH2], Dipp = 2,6-i-Pr2C6H3, and DMAP = N,N-dimethylaminopyridine). The adducts BrBFl-IPr, BrBFl-PPh3, BrBFl-PCy3, [(DMAP)2BFl]Br, BrBFl-IPrCH2, and HBFl-IPrCH2 were found to exhibit bright blue luminescence with low to moderately high quantum efficiencies (19 to 63%). Selective irradiation at different excitation wavelengths revealed the presence of two distinct emission processes in the adducts BrBFl-LB, leading to a ligand-independent, presumably borafluorene-based, blue light emission at 435 nm and another less intense emission band in the ultraviolet region (315-324 nm); [(DMAP)2BFl]Br exhibits an emission profile that tails into the visible region. Time-dependent density functional theory studies are also included for representative borafluorene adducts. With a judicious choice of functional groups at boron, one can envisage the future generation of a whole library of 4-coordinate borafluorene-based luminogens that complement the efficient light-emitting behavior known for the widely studied boron-dipyrromethene analogues.

Luminescent Diazaborolyl-Functionalized Polystyrene

We present two different procedures for the synthesis of poly[4-(1',3'-diethyl-1',3',2'-benzodiazaborolyl)styrene] (3a) and poly[4-(1',3'-diphenyl-1',3',2'-benzodiazaborolyl)styrene] (3b). The new polymers were fully characterized by GPC, multinuclear NMR, and elemental analysis. The thermal properties and stability were studied by DSC and TGA, and the optical characteristics were examined by absorption and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Remarkably high quantum yields of up to 77% were measured. In comparison to molecular species we found significantly shorter lifetimes, likely as a result of incorporation of the chromophores into the polymer structure.