The Development of Novel Ligands to Target the Para-Selective Borylation of a Range of Aromatic Compounds

The iridium-catalysed conversion of aromatic C-H bonds to boronate esters is one of the most efficient and versatile methods for building complex aromatic rings. We have recently demonstrated a novel anionic ligand-cationic substrate approach to achieving elusive meta selectivity in the borylation of several classes of aromatic ammonium salts. The key aim of this project will be to design new ligand scaffolds to target the para position of substituted arenes for borylation. There are very few methods for para-selective C-H functionalisation using transition metals and our approach offers an ideal opportunity to address this. We envisage that the ligands developed will also be applied to para-selective borylation of other substrates such as aromatic amides, through hydrogen bonding interactions, which we are developing in parallel in our lab.