On the Syntheses and Reactions of Boroles and Boraindenes
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University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2014-10-08 On the Syntheses and Reactions of Boroles and Boraindenes Houghton, Adrian Yuri Houghton, A. Y. (2014). On the Syntheses and Reactions of Boroles and Boraindenes (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27197 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/1925 doctoral thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY On the Syntheses and Reactions of Boroles and Boraindenes by Adrian Yuri Houghton A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Chemistry CALGARY, ALBERTA September, 2014 © ADRIAN YURI HOUGHTON 2014 Abstract Highly Lewis-acidic boranes are an important class of compounds in both fundamental and applied chemistry. Recently, a sub-class of boranes known as boroles – five-membered unsaturated boracycles – has begun to receive attention due to the interesting properties afforded by the anti-aromatic nature of these compounds. We synthesized and characterized a new class of boroles wherein the borole ring is fused to a benzene ring. These “boraindenes” were found to be highly Lewis acidic by the Gutmann- Beckett method, even more so than the ubiquitous tris-pentafluorophenylborane. Structural and computational evidence supports the notion that these compounds are anti-aromatic, which likely contributes to their Lewis acidity. A series of six derivatives was synthesized, and it was found that they had only marginally different absorption spectra. Previous work in our group showed that perproteo and perfluoro-pentaphenylboroles are capable of irreversibly activating dihydrogen. The mechanism of this reaction was investigated both experimentally and computationally, and it was found that the reaction was bimolecular in nature. Furthermore, the reaction involves the formation of a transient dihydrogen-borole adduct which quickly adds dihydrogen across the boron-carbon bond. A 1,2-hydride shift can lead to a cisoid product, and cleavage of the boron-carbon bond results in a ring-opened intermediate that ultimately rearranges to give the transoid product; independent synthesis of this ring-opened intermediate confirms that it does indeed give the transoid product. The most Lewis acidic of the boraindenes, perfluoro-1,2,3-triphenyl-1-boraindene, appears to react reversibly with dihydrogen gas. This compound has proven capable of ii mediating the hydrogenation of cyclohexene, though its precise role remains obscured in part due to the fact that it reacts with cyclohexene itself. Perfluoro-1,2,3-triphenyl-1-boraindene was found to reversibly form an adduct with triethylsilane in solution, an adduct that was also isolated in the solid state. The solution-phase equilibrium was characterized by a titration followed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which revealed that the equilibrium is nearly thermoneutral at room temperature but favours adduct formation at lower temperatures. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis on solid samples confirm that the adduct is formed via a three-centre, two-electron silicon-hydrogen-boron bonding interaction. Perfluoro-1,2,3-triphenyl-1-boraindene was also found to be an active catalyst for the hydrosilation of olefins. iii Acknowledgements This doctoral thesis represents the culmination of five years of hard work, and I would be remiss were I not to acknowledge all those who aided me throughout this endeavour. First and foremost I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Warren Edward Piers, without whom none of this would have been possible. His keen insights and intense dedication are aspects I have tried to incorporate into myself, and working in his group has moulded me into the scientist that I am today. I would like to thank the members of my supervisory committee, Dr. Todd Sutherland and Dr. Thomas Baumgartner, for their additional support throughout my degree. I would also like to thank the other members of my examination committee, Dr. Peter Tieleman and Dr. T. Don Tilley, for taking the time to evaluate my thesis. Gratitude is extended to Dr. Roland Roesler and Dr. David Schriemer for serving on my candidacy committee. All the members of the Piers group, past and present, have helped me in some way or another, whether it be through showing me a new technique, discussing experiments or teaching me something new. I would like to thank Master Juan Felipe Araneda in particular, who has been a fellow boron chemist from the beginning, for his help, friendship, and aid in maintaining the air- and moisture- free working paradise that is the Boron Box. In addition to his help in the lab, Dr. Francis A. Leblanc introduced me to Crossfit and helped me get into some of the best shape in my life. I would also like to thank Dr. Tracy Griffin (Lohr), Dr. Rich Burford, Master Terry Chu, Dr. Lauren Mercier, Dr. Adam Marwitz, Dr. Andrey Khaliman, Dr. Dmitry Gutsulyak, Dr. Erin Leitao, Dr. Thomas Wood, Dr. Matt Sloan, Dr. Andreas Berkefeldt, Dr. Benedikt Neue and Dr. Cheng Fan. iv There are a number of people to whom I owe thanks for the development of my abilities as a crystallographer (if I can presume to call myself one). Dr. Masood Parvez taught me the principles of crystallography and showed me how to use the instruments, and I have received additional support from Doctors Javier Borau-Garcia, Jason Dutton, Michael Sgro, and Denis Spasyuk. The instrumentation staff at the University of Calgary provide and maintain the excellent facilities that make much of our work possible. Dr. Michelle Forgeron has done an excellent job of leading her team while also providing support to our lab during the move. Qiao Wu, Wade White, Dorothy Fox and Jian Jun Li have also been incredibly helpful and pleasant to work with. Additional support from around the department has been exemplary. Mark Toonen is a truly gifted and hard-working glassblower without whom I would likely be graduating much later. The machine shops and electrical shops have been instrumental in keeping our lab functioning, and I would like to thank them all for their efforts. Bonnie King and Janice Crawford have been a great help keeping me on track and aiding in scholarship applications, for which I am very grateful. My parents, Dean and Anne Houghton, have been unwaveringly loving and supportive throughout my entire life. My little sister Vanessa has been an excellent friend and confidante, of whom I am very proud. I am happy to have had them so close throughout this degree, for they have surely made it easier. My friends, both within and outside the department, have each certainly made things more fun and enjoyable than if they had been absent during this time in my life. Dustin Pearson kept me going to the gym in the mornings for two years and I am stronger because of it. I would v like especially to thank Ryan Bebb, Leah Kilvert and Mari Boesen. I would also like to offer a heartfelt thanks to the Burner community as a whole, for showing me just how rad life can be. vi Table of Contents Abstract............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements............................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents.............................................................................................................. vii List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... x List of Figures.................................................................................................................. xiv List of Schemes.............................................................................................................. xviii List of Symbols, Abbreviations and Nomenclature......................................................... xxi List of Numbered Compounds in Chapters 1 and 2....................................................... xxvi List of Numbered Compounds in Chapters 3 and 4...................................................... xxvii List of Numbered Compounds in Chapter 5................................................................ xxviii List of Numbered Intermediates .................................................................................. xxviii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................1 1.1 Lewis Acids and Bases ............................................................................................. 1 1.2 Lewis Acidity Scales ................................................................................................ 5 1.3 Applications of Boron Lewis Acids.......................................................................... 8 1.4 Boroles .................................................................................................................... 14 1.4.1 Aromaticity and Anti-aromaticity .................................................................