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A Lewis Superacidic Borirane Derivative Featuring a Tris(Carboranyl)Borane Environment.

Libo Xiang¹, Junyi Wang², Alexander Matler¹

¹Institute for Inorganic Chemistry and Institute for Sustainable Chemistry & Catalysis with Boron, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg 97074, Germany.

Inorganic Chemistry

|December 12, 2025

Summary

A novel carborane-fused borirane exhibits enhanced Lewis superacidity, surpassing antimony pentafluoride. This unique compound displays unprecedented reactivity due to combined Lewis superacidity and ring strain.

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Published on: March 25, 2017

Area of Science:

Organoboron chemistry
Supramolecular chemistry

Background:

Boriranes are strained three-membered boron-containing heterocycles.
Carboranes are a class of compounds containing boron, carbon, and other atoms.
Lewis superacids are strong Lewis acids with enhanced reactivity.

Purpose of the Study:

To synthesize and characterize a novel carborane-fused borirane.
To investigate the Lewis acidity and reactivity of the synthesized compound.
To explore the potential of this compound as a Lewis superacid and in novel chemical transformations.

Main Methods:

Synthesis via salt elimination reaction between lithium carborane and a carboranylboron dibromide.
Full characterization using solid-state and solution-state techniques (e.g., NMR, X-ray crystallography).
Evaluation of Lewis acidity through fluoride ion affinity (FIA) measurements.

Main Results:

Successful synthesis of the carborane-fused borirane (C2B10H10)B(C2B10H10iPr).
Demonstrated Lewis superacidity, exceeding that of SbF5, due to the tris(carboranyl)borane environment.
Observed unprecedented reactivity, including transfer hydrogenation, THF ring-opening via σ-bond metathesis, and dearomative N-C bond insertion.

Conclusions:

The synthesized carborane-fused borirane is the first borirane classified as a Lewis superacid.
The combination of Lewis superacidity and ring strain enables unique chemical reactivity.
This study opens new avenues in organoboron chemistry and catalysis.