Tricoordinate diphenylboron cation prepared in solution

Treatment of diphenylchloroborane with 1 equiv of pyridine or pyridine-N-oxide in CD2Cl2 formed the corresponding 1:1 adduct, which gave tricoordinate diphenylboron cation by electrophilic abstraction of chloride ion with the strong Lewis acid, SbCl5. The experimental B-11 chemical shifts were in good agreement with the ab initio calculation results and the optimized structures were well explicable by B-11, C-13, and Sb-121 NMR spectroscopy. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.