Carboranes as Aryl Mimetics in Catalysis: A Highly Active Zwitterionic NHC-Precatalyst

Abstract

Modern catalysis takes advantage of aryl-based interactions to tune and control reactions. In the design of N-heterocyclic-carbene catalysts, both the electronic and steric nature of the nitrogen substituents play a crucial role. Although hydrocarbon-based systems and especially aryl residues have contributed considerably to overcome multifaceted catalytic challenges, the unique properties of carborane moieties, including delocalized charge, potential planar chirality, and well-known thermodynamic stability, offer unprecedented opportunities to develop new catalysts while being employed as aryl mimetics. We report a straightforward synthetic route to a novel zwitterionic triazolium-based N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precatalyst bearing a 7,8-dicarba-nido-undecaboranyl substituent. The catalyst's excellent activity and its broad applicability are demonstrated in a wide range of organocatalytic transformations. Comparison of the performance with known N-aryl NHC catalysts offers preliminary insights into the stereoelectronic nature of this nido-carboranyl substituent.