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Oxoborane Formation Turns on Formazanate‐Based Photoluminescence
Author(s) -
Maar Ryan R.,
Hoffman Nicholas A.,
Staroverov Viktor N.,
Gilroy Joe B.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201902419
Subject(s) - photoluminescence , steric effects , adduct , ligand (biochemistry) , boron , chemistry , excited state , density functional theory , crystallography , materials science , photochemistry , stereochemistry , computational chemistry , organic chemistry , physics , receptor , optoelectronics , biochemistry , nuclear physics
The synthesis of compounds containing multiple bonds to boron has challenged main‐group chemists for decades. Despite significant progress, the possibility that the formation of such bonds can turn on photoluminescence has received minimal attention. We report an oxoborane (B=O) complex that is electronically stabilized by a formazanate ligand in the absence of significant steric bulk and, unlike the common BX 2 (X=F, Cl) formazanate adducts, exhibits intense photoluminescence. The latter property was rationalized through density‐functional calculations which indicated that the B=O bond enhances photoluminescence by drastically reducing differences between the ligand's geometries in the ground and excited states. The title oxoborane compound was synthesized from an air‐ and moisture‐stable BCl 2 formazanate complex and subsequently converted to a redox‐active boroxine. Each of these species may also serve as a precursor to functional materials.