Halogenated triarylboranes: synthesis, properties and applications in catalysis

Halogenated triarylboranes (BAr3) have been known for decades, however it has only been since the surge of interest in main group catalysis that their application as strong Lewis acid catalysts has been recognised. This review aims to look past the popular tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane [B(C6F5)(3)] to the other halogenated triarylboranes, to give a greater breadth of understanding as to how tuning the Lewis acidity of BAr3 by modifications of the aryl rings can lead to improved reactivity. In this review, a discussion on Lewis acidity determination of boranes is given, the synthesis of these boranes is discussed, and examples of how they are being used for catalysis and frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) chemistry are explained.