A bidentate Lewis acid with a telluronium ion as an anion-binding site. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • The search for receptors that can selectively capture small and potentially toxic anions in protic media has sparked a renewed interest in the synthesis and anion-binding properties of polydentate Lewis acids. Seeking new paradigms to enhance the anion affinities of such systems, we synthesized a bidentate Lewis acid that contains a boryl and a telluronium moiety as Lewis acidic sites. Anion-complexation studies indicate that this telluronium borane displays a high affinity for fluoride in methanol. Structural and computational studies show that the unusual fluoride affinity of this bidentate telluronium borane can be correlated with the formation of a B-F Te chelate motif supported by a strong lone-pair(F) *(Te-C) donor-acceptor interaction. These results, which illustrate the viability of heavier chalcogenium centres as anion-binding sites, allow us to introduce a novel strategy for the design of polydentate Lewis acids with enhanced anion affinities.

published proceedings

  • Nat Chem

altmetric score

  • 12

author list (cited authors)

  • Zhao, H., & Gabbai, F. P.

citation count

  • 171

complete list of authors

  • Zhao, Haiyan||Gabbaiï, François P

publication date

  • November 2010