About us
SFB 1762 BoronPro
Due to their multifaceted and tunable properties, molecular boron compounds are promising building blocks for numerous applications that range from chemical synthesis and materials science to medicine and pharmacy. Surprisingly, this broad potential has remained mostly unexplored as molecular boron compounds are most often used solely as synthetic intermediates from which the boron unit is lost in the course of the reaction. Compared with the overwhelming popularity of synthetic processes involving disposable boron units, molecular, organometallic, or macromolecular substances in which boron serves as the integral, property-determining element are rare. Hence, the BORONPro CRC consortium aims to develop syntheses and synthetic strategies toward novel, functional molecular and macromolecular boron-based compounds and materials. The CRC can build on a combination of synthetic expertise in molecular boron chemistry of its members that would be impossible to replicate elsewhere.
The detailed physicochemical characterization of the boron-containing compounds in conjunction with an in-depth theoretical analysis are prerequisites for the understanding of molecular and materials properties. The study of these properties, which is the second aim of this initiative, is a requirement for a targeted boron-based materials design on the longterm.
Testing of promising candidates in selected applications, in which the boron atom is the (or one of the) critical module(s) that defines the properties is the third aim of the BORONPro CRC initiative.
The focus areas of potential applications are A • Boron-Centered Transformations, B • Boron-Based Functional Materials, and C • Boron-Modified Biomolecules.
Project Area A focuses on synthetic aspects of boron chemistry and targets either the selective introduction of boron-containing groups, transformations guided by boron moieties, or a combination thereof. The objectives include the development of (enantioselective) borylations, the design of lowvalent boron-compounds, and boron-modified anionic N-heterocyclic carbenes for boron-based small molecule activation. The long-term goal is to leverage boron as a property-determining element in synthesis, thereby moving it out of the shadow of its traditional role as a disposable element in synthetic chemistry.
Project Area B uses the unique electronic and structural flexibility of boron as property-determining element for the preparation and characterization of boron-containing functional materials for molecular electronics and energy related materials. The portfolio of topics ranges from molecules and materials for spintronics and optoelectronics, e.g. organic semiconductors for organic light-emitting diodes, to small-molecule sensors, multi-responsive photoswitches, and ion-conducting materials for liquid electrolytes or liquid crystalline compounds. The long-term goal is to establish boron as an eminently versatile and unique element for application in energy-related processes.
Project Area C aims to explore boron-containing compounds that are linked to or interact with nucleic acids and proteins. The diverse boron-containing moieties that include boron-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (BN-PAHs) and other boron-containing heterocycles, anionic boron clusters, as well as boranes will be designed to fulfill different tasks related to sensing, delivery, and release, in general. The long-term goal is to use boron’s structural and electronic flexibility to enrich the biochemical toolbox for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
Based on the three aims stated above, i.e. (I) synthesis development, (II) property characterization (experiment and theory), and (III) testing in applications, the long-term objective of the CRC is to establish structure-property relationships to pave the way for the targeted design of boron-based molecular tools for synthesis, materials science, and medicine.
