Three-dimensional (3D) analogues of 9-borafluorenes,
(C2B10H10)2BR (R = Cl
(1), Br (2), H (3, merely as
ether or silane
adduct), phenyl (4), mesityl (5)), were
synthesized and fully characterized. Gutmann–Beckett and computational
fluoride/hydride ion affinity (FIA/HIA) studies confirmed the Lewis
superacidity of 1–4, with the Lewis
acidity of 1–3 being higher than
that of the corresponding 3D analogues of 9,10-diboraanthracenes (DBA).
The phenyl group and the C4B borole unit are nearly coplanar
in the solid state, while the rotation of the mesityl group of 5 is hindered, forcing 5 to adopt a large C4B/Mes dihedral angle, which leads to distinct properties:
air-stable and bluish-violet fluorescence arising from the intramolecular
charge-transfer (ICT) transition. The 29Si NMR spectra
indicated a high silylium cation character of 3·Et3SiH. The reaction of 4 with Ph3CBr
yielded (Ph3C)+[(C2B10H10)2B(Ph)Br]− (6). The 4/PPh3 Lewis pair was capable of splitting
dihydrogen and Si–H bond of triethylsilane.