10.1039/c7cc02420g
The research focuses on the development of a convenient and clean synthetic method for borasiloxanes, which are valuable chemicals in materials chemistry due to their excellent heat resistance and unique properties applicable to various fields such as chemical sensors, electrolyte additives, and ceramic precursors. The study introduces a Pd-catalyzed selective Si-O-B bond-forming reaction through dehydrogenative O-borylation of a variety of silanols with easily available diborons, such as bis(pinacolato)diboron (B2pin2), bis(neopentyl glycolato)diboron (B2neop2), bis(hexylene glycolato)diboron (B2hexyl2), and bis(catecholato)diboron (B2cat2). The process is efficient, takes place under mild conditions, and generates only hydrogen gas as a byproduct, making it environmentally friendly. The successful use of diborons with Pd catalysts for borasiloxane synthesis is a unique point compared to previously reported methods, and the high activity of the commonly-used air-stable Pd acetate catalyst makes this method potentially applicable for modifying silanol group-containing materials like silicone polymers to improve their physical properties or add new chemical properties based on boron moieties. The study concludes that this new simple method for the preparation of Si-O-B compounds using readily available silanols and diboron reagents could have significant practical applications.