Dative boron–nitrogen bonds in structural supramolecular chemistry: multicomponent assembly of prismatic organic cages

The multicomponent reaction of diboronic acids with a catechol and a tripyridyl linker results in the formation trigonal prismatic cages. The cages feature six dative boron–nitrogen bonds as structure-directing elements. The size of the cages can be varied by changing the diboronic acid building block. The cages are able to encapsulate polyaromatic molecules such as triphenylene or coronene.