Structure of Intramolecular Boron–Amine Complexes and Proposal of Tetrahedral Character for Correlation between Molecular Structure and Barrier to Dissociation of the N–B Bonds

The molecular structures of a set of intramolecular boron-amine complexes, 9-[2-(dialkylaminomethyl)phenyl]-9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonanes (alkyl = Me and Et) and 2-[2-(dimethylaminomethyl)phenyl]-4,4-diphenyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolane, were determined by the X-ray analyses. The boron atom has a tetrahedral geometry and the five-membered ring is puckered with the nitrogen atom out of the plane in every complex. The distances of the N–B coordination bonds, which are in the range of 1.74–1.77Å, are not always correlated to the barrier to dissociation of the N–B bonds. In order to correlate the molecular structures to the strength of the N–B coordination bonds, the tetrahedral character, which is calculated from bond angles at a boron atom, is proposed. The usefulness as well as the limitation of this parameter are discussed.