9-Hetero-10-boraanthracene-derived borinic acid catalysts for regioselective activation of polyols

Heteraborinine-derived borinic acids serve as efficient catalysts for regioselective monofunctionalization of di- and polyols. Arylborinic acids of this type, wherein the B–OH group is incorporated into a 6π electron system, display both improved catalytic activity for functionalization of diols and enhanced stability towards air oxidation relative to the ‘parent’ diphenylborinic acid (Ph2BOH). These properties enable their applications at loadings as low as 0.1 mol% and without the need for a stabilizing precatalyst ligand (e.g., ethanolamine). Complexation studies, computation and kinetic data suggest that while the heteraborinine-derived borinic acids show significantly lower association constants with substrates than Ph2BOH, this effect is more than compensated for by the increased nucleophilicity of their tetracoordinate diol adducts.