Synthesis of Axially Chiral Boron Compounds

Abstract

Boron-doped organic compounds display unique properties as a result of the presence of an empty p orbital on boron and the ability to switch between a trigonal planar and a tetrahedral geometry. In recent years, they have found several applications not only as synthetic reagents, e.g., in the Suzuki–Miyaura reaction, but also as pharmaceuticals and as specialized materials due to their optical and electronic properties. Some boron compounds may exist as atropisomers, and these rotamers may have different properties according to their sense of rotation. Synthetic strategies to separate them and, more recently, to obtain them in an asymmetric manner are becoming popular. In this review, we survey the literature on this emerging field of research.