Caleb D. Martin | Baylor University - a Chemistry Departmental Seminar

Dodecacarborane clusters (C₂B₁₀H₁₂) have been known for 60 years yet their application as an electron withdrawing group is not well established.¹ Our group has been preparing boranes that feature two or three ortho-carboranes (oCb) as bulky electron withdrawing groups to enhance the Lewis acidity.^2,3 The reactivity of the new boranes is compared to the state-of-the-art boranes with fluoroaryl groups revealing greater Lewis acidity. The large steric profile of the carboranes make it an excellent Lewis acid partner in frustrated Lewis pair chemistry.⁴The properties of the feature compounds and mechanisms of the reactions will be discussed.