Nucleophilic versus electrophilic boryl moieties: activation and application in catalysis

Identifier:  TDX:1323

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX1323

Authors:  Cid Torta, Jessica

Abstract:
Boron compounds have been traditionally regarded as “Lewis Acids” preferring to accept electrons rather than donate them in the course of their reactions, but current examples of unusual reactivity between tricoordinatedboranes and electrophilic sites suggest another conceptual context for the boryl moieties, based on their nucleophilic character which can be enhanced depending on the substituents on boron. In this thesis, we aim to show an overview of these opposite reactivities through the computational study of different trivalent boron compounds. Moreover, we have also focused our attention in the study of two reactions, the non-conventional trans-hydroboration where the boryl moiety is acting as an electrophile and the organocatalytic-boration with a mixed diboron reagent where the boryl moiety is acting as a nucleophile.