3D-Boronic Ester Architectures: Synthesis, Host-Guest Chemistry, Dynamic Behavior, and Supramolecular Catalysis

Boronic esters are known to be formed simply by mixing boronic acids and alcohols under neutral conditions, and the equilibrium is in favor of the boronic esters when 1,2- or 1,3-diols are employed as alcohols. By utilizing the dynamic nature of the boronic ester formation, our group successfully constructed unique boron-containing 3D structures, such as ring-shaped macrocycles, cages, and tubes, based on the boronic ester formation of various aromatic di-, tri-, or hexaboronic acids with an originally designed tetrol 1 containing two sets of fixed 1,2-diol units oriented on the same face of an indacene framework. Various functions of the obtained boronates were further pursued to disclose the characteristic features of this system. This personal account describes our self-assembled boronate system using tetrol 1 including synthesis, host-guest chemistry, kinetic connection, characteristic dynamic behaviors, and supramolecular catalysis.