A new study on boranil photocatalysts just dropped1!
Collaboration is very important for our research group. For this reason, Magda once again supported the team of Prof. Tomasz Kliś from Warsaw University of Technology2 by carrying out voltammetric studies as part of their research on halogenated boranil complexes. In this joint work, the researchers developed a synthetic route to a series of seven new halogenated boranil complexes (BA) containing a diarylboron unit coordinated by N-salicylidene-benzenamine ligands. These compounds were designed as potential photosensitizers, molecules capable of absorbing light and transferring the energy to drive chemical reactions.
The newly prepared complexes were carefully characterized using several experimental techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared spectroscopy (IR), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The experimental results were further supported by theoretical calculations, providing a deeper understanding of the electronic properties of the molecules.
One of the key findings of the study is that these boranil complexes can efficiently generate singlet oxygen, an important reactive form of oxygen used in many photo-driven transformations. The singlet-oxygen generation efficiencies of the compounds ranged from 27% to 90%, indicating that several of them are highly effective photosensitizers.
The team also explored how these compounds perform as photocatalysts in different chemical reactions. Their activity was tested for the oxidation of organic substrates, the oxidative coupling of benzylamine, and the photocatalytic ATRA addition of perfluoroalkanes to terminal alkenes. The results showed that the efficiency of each complex depends on the specific reaction, but all seven compounds were capable of acting as photosensitizers in visible-light-driven perfluoroalkylation reactions.
Importantly, the results demonstrate that organoboron compounds can serve as efficient photocatalysts, potentially replacing commonly used photocatalysts based on heavy metals. This makes them attractive candidates for developing more sustainable light-driven chemical processes.
We are very happy to continue this collaboration and to combine the expertise of both research groups.
