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Bridging Lewis acidic antimony centers with electron-withdrawing carborane cages
Victoria P Rubio1, McKinley H Durham1, Matthew Scurria1
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, 607 Charles E. Young Drive East Los Angeles California 90095 USA spokoyny@ucla.edu o.gutierrez@ucla.edu.
Chemical Science
|May 13, 2026
Summary
Researchers synthesized novel antimony compounds using carboranes to enhance Lewis acidity. These carborane-stabilized antimony(v) species show strong small molecule binding, demonstrating improved Lewis acid properties.
Area of Science:
- Organometallic Chemistry
- Boron Cluster Chemistry
- Lewis Acidity Studies
Background:
- Fluorinated groups are typically used to increase Lewis acidity in group 15 organometallic compounds.
- An alternative strategy involves utilizing the electron-withdrawing nature of carborane clusters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize novel carborane-bridged antimony(iii) and antimony(v) species.
- To investigate the Lewis acidic properties of these new antimony compounds.
- To explore the potential of carboranes as electron-withdrawing substituents for enhancing Lewis acidity.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of C-bound ortho-carborane bridged antimony(iii) complexes.
- Oxidation of antimony(iii) species to antimony(v) counterparts using o-chloranil.
- Small molecule binding studies and computational analysis to assess Lewis acidity.
Main Results:
- Successfully synthesized and characterized carborane-bridged antimony(iii) and antimony(v) compounds.
- Antimony(v) species exhibited strong binding affinities towards small molecules.
- Enhanced Lewis acidity of antimony(v) centers was confirmed, attributed to bulky carborane groups.
Conclusions:
- Carboranes serve as effective electron-withdrawing groups to enhance the Lewis acidity of antimony centers.
- The bulky carborane substituents facilitate strong small molecule interactions.
- The enhanced Lewis acidity is linked to the reactivity of sigma holes in the antimony(v) species.
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