Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, sometimes referred to as "BCF", is the chemical compound . It is a white, volatile solid. The molecule consists of three pentafluorophenyl groups attached in a "paddle-wheel" manner to a central

boron Boron is a chemical element with the symbol B and atomic number 5. In its crystalline form it is a brittle, dark, lustrous metalloid; in its amorphous form it is a brown powder. As the lightest element of the ''boron group'' it has th ...

atom; the core is planar. It has been described as the “ideal

Lewis acid A Lewis acid (named for the American physical chemist Gilbert N. Lewis) is a chemical species that contains an empty orbital which is capable of accepting an electron pair from a Lewis base to form a Lewis adduct. A Lewis base, then, is any sp ...

” because of its high thermal stability and the relative inertness of the B-C bonds. Related fluoro-substituted boron compounds, such as those containing groups, decompose with formation of B-F bonds. Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane is thermally stable at temperatures well over 200 °C, resistant to oxygen, and water-tolerant.

Preparation

Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane is prepared using a

Grignard reagent A Grignard reagent or Grignard compound is a chemical compound with the general formula , where X is a halogen and R is an organic group, normally an alkyl or aryl. Two typical examples are methylmagnesium chloride and phenylmagnesium bromide ...

derived from

bromopentafluorobenzene Bromopentafluorobenzene is an organofluorine compound with the formula C6F5Br. It is a colorless liquid that is used to prepare pentafluophenyl compounds. These syntheses typically proceed via the intermediacy of C6F5Li or the Grignard reagent. ...

: : The synthesis originally employed , but this reagent can detonate with elimination of .

Structure

The structure of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (BCF) was determined by gas electron diffraction. It has a propeller-like arrangement of its three pentafluorophenyl groups with a torsional angle of 40.6(3)° for the deviation of these groups from a hypothetically planar arrangement. Compared with a torsional angle of 56.8(4)° for , which is a stronger Lewis acid than BCF, this shows that there is some delocalization of electron density from the para-fluorine atoms to the boron atom that reduces its acidity.

Lewis acidity

The most noteworthy property of this molecule is its strong

ity. Its Lewis acid strength, as quantified by experimental equilibrium constants, is by 7 orders of magnitude higher than the one of structurally analogous

triphenylborane Triphenylborane, often abbreviated to BPh3 where Ph is the phenyl group C6H5-, is a chemical compound with the formula B(C6H5)3. It is a white crystalline solid and is both air and moisture sensitive, slowly forming benzene and triphenylboroxin ...

. Experimental equilibrium measurements, its AN value ( Gutmann-Beckett method) as well as quantum-chemical calculations all indicate that the Lewis acidity of is slightly lower than that of and significantly reduced compared to . forms a strong Lewis adduct with water, which was shown to be a strong Brønsted acid having an acidity comparable to hydrochloric acid (in acetonitrile). In consequence, even traces of moisture are able to deactivate and remaining catalytic activity might only be due to the Brønsted acidity of the water adduct.

Applications in catalysis

In one application forms

noncoordinating anion Anions that interact weakly with cations are termed non-coordinating anions, although a more accurate term is weakly coordinating anion. Non-coordinating anions are useful in studying the reactivity of electrophilic cations. They are commonly found ...

s by removing anionic ligands from metal centers. Illustrative is a reaction that give rise to alkene polymerization catalysts where tris(pentafluorophenyl)boron is used as an activator or cocatalyst: : In this process, the strongly coordinating methyl group transfers to the boron to expose a reactive site on zirconium. The resulting cationic zirconocene species is stabilised by the non coordinating borane anion. The exposed site on the zirconium allows for coordination of alkenes, whereupon migratory insertion into the remaining carbon-methyl ligand gives rise to a propyl ligand this process continues resulting in the growth of a polymer chain. This reagent has led to the development of immobilised catalyst/activator species; where the catalyst/activator is immobilised on an inert inorganic support such as silica. is also capable of abstracting hydride to give , and it catalyzes hydrosilylation of aldehydes. Otherwise binds to a wide range of Lewis bases, even weak ones. The compound is hygroscopic, forming the trihydrate , wherein one water in coordinated to boron and the other two waters are hydrogen-bonded to the coordinated water. Related compounds are halides.

Frustrated Lewis pair

Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane is a key reagent leading to the concept of frustrated Lewis pairs. The combination of BCF and bulky basic phosphines, such as tricyclohexylphosphine () cleaves :Stephan, D. W., ""Frustrated Lewis Pairs": A New Strategy to Small Molecule Activation and Hydrogenation Catalysis", Dalton Trans. 2009, 3129. : Many related phosphines, boranes, and substrates participate in related reactions.

Other reactions

was used to prepare a compound containing a Xe-C bond: : Upon reaction with , the salt of the

lithium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate is formed. : reacts with to give the zwitterionic phosphonic-boronate (mes = ): : This zwitterionic salt can be converted to a system that reversibly binds molecular : : :

References

Extra reading

*{{open access Organoboranes Pentafluorophenyl compounds Perfluorinated compounds