B-N, B-O, and B-CN Bond Formation via Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of B-Bromo-Carboranes

J Am Chem Soc. 2016 Jul 27;138(29):9081-4. doi: 10.1021/jacs.6b05505. Epub 2016 Jul 13.

Abstract

Carboranes are boron-rich molecules that can be functionalized through metal-catalyzed cross-coupling. Here, for the first time, we report the use of bromo-carboranes in palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling for efficient B-N, B-O, and unprecedented B-CN bond formation. In many cases bromo-carboranes outperform the traditionally utilized iodo-carborane species. This marked difference in reactivity is leveraged to circumvent multistep functionalization by directly coupling small nucleophiles (-OH, -NH2, and -CN) and multiple functional groups onto the boron-rich clusters.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.