Electrochemical deconstruction of alkyl substituted boron clusters to produce alkyl boronate esters.

Closo -Hexaborate ( closo -B 6 H 6 2- ) can engage in nucleophilic substitution reactions with a wide variety of alkyl electrophiles. The resulting functionalized boron clusters undergo oxidative electrochemical deconstruction, selectively cleaving B-B bonds while preserving B-C bonds in these species. This approach allows the conversion of multinuclear boron clusters into single boron site organoboranes. Trapped boron-based fragments were isolated from the electrochemical cluster deconstruction process, providing further mechanistic insights into the developed reaction.