Boramidine: A Versatile Structural Motif for the Design of Fluorescent Heterocycles

J Am Chem Soc. 2020 Aug 5;142(31):13544-13549. doi: 10.1021/jacs.0c05410. Epub 2020 Jul 21.

Abstract

Sodium cyanoborohydride-derived N-alkylnitriliumboranes were found to be versatile precursors for the synthesis of novel boron-containing heterocycles. The reaction between N-alkylnitriliumboranes and 2-aminopyridines, imidazoles, oxazoles, or isoxazoles leads to the incorporation of the [B-C] motif into a five-membered boramidine, which exists as a mixture of Z and E isomers. The resulting heterocycles are blue fluorescent in both the solid state and in solution with ca. 2700-8400 cm-1 Stokes shifts and quantum yields in the 65-74% range in water and in the 42-84% range in organic solvents. The combination of photophysical properties, structural tunability, stability, and solubility in various media is expected to find application in a range of disciplines.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amidines / chemistry*
  • Boranes / chemistry*
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemical synthesis*
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry
  • Heterocyclic Compounds / chemical synthesis*
  • Heterocyclic Compounds / chemistry
  • Molecular Structure

Substances

  • Amidines
  • Boranes
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Heterocyclic Compounds