A two-coordinate boron cation featuring C-B+-C bonding

Two-coordinate boron cations (R2B+), referred to as borinium ions, are chemical species in which the boron bears only four valence electrons, and that are isoelectronic with hypothetical carbon dications (R2C2+). Although lone-pair-donating substituents such as amino groups have enabled the isolation of several borinium ions, diarylated and dialkylated borinium derivatives remain entirely unexplored. Here, we present the synthesis, structure and reactivity of the dimesitylborinium ion, which displays unexpectedly high thermal stability. X-ray crystallography and B-11 NMR spectroscopy, supported by density functional theory calculations, reveal that the borinium ion adopts a linear two-coordinate structure in both the solid state and in solution. The boron centre is stabilized by p(pi) bonding from the mesityl groups and is free from coordination by the counterion or solvent molecules. This diarylborinium ion possesses exceptional Lewis acidity, accepting a pair of electrons from CO2 to cause an unusual deoxygenation reaction.