Boron halide chelate compounds and their activity towards the demethylation of trimethylphosphate
Salen(t-Bu)H2 (N,N'-ethylenebis(3,5-di-tert-butyl(2-hydroxy)benzylidenimine) and its derivatives were used to prepare boron compounds having the formula L(BCl2)2 (L = salen(t-Bu) (1), salpen(t-Bu) (2), salben(t-Bu) (3), salpten(t-Bu) (4), salhen(t-Bu) (5)). These are formed from the reaction of the corresponding L[B(OMe)2]2 with BCl3. In addition to being a new type of boron compound, they are also potential two-point Lewis acids. Indeed, they demonstrate Lewis acidic behavior in the dealkylation of trimethylphosphate. All of the compounds were characterized by mp, elemental analysis, 1H and 11B NMR, IR, MS, and in the case of 2 by X-ray crystallography.Key words: boron, salen, dealkylation.