Facile and reliable synthesis of tetraphenoxyborates and their properties

Tetraphenoxyborates are reliably prepared in a two-step sequence, exploiting less corrosive reagents like boric acid and the corresponding phenols. The broad scope of this transformation is demonstrated in 22 examples. Several solid-state structures reveal the preferential conformation of the phenoxy moieties allowing cation interaction. Furthermore, a novel architecture of a phenoxy-substituted tetraborate was found. Surprisingly, the tetraphenoxyborates exhibit a good stability in neutral and basic media. ((c) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006).