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Abstract
The search for receptors that can selectively capture small and potentially toxic anions in protic media has sparked a renewed interest in the synthesis and anion-binding properties of polydentate Lewis acids. Seeking new paradigms to enhance the anion affinities of such systems, we synthesized a bidentate Lewis acid that contains a boryl and a telluronium moiety as Lewis acidic sites. Anion-complexation studies indicate that this telluronium borane displays a high affinity for fluoride in methanol. Structural and computational studies show that the unusual fluoride affinity of this bidentate telluronium borane can be correlated with the formation of a B–F → Te chelate motif supported by a strong lone-pair(F) → σ*(Te–C) donor–acceptor interaction. These results, which illustrate the viability of heavier chalcogenium centres as anion-binding sites, allow us to introduce a novel strategy for the design of polydentate Lewis acids with enhanced anion affinities. The design of receptors for the selective capture of F− is important because of the potential toxicity of this anion. Now, a telluronium borane has been shown to form a very stable fluoride chelate complex. The stability of the complex can be correlated to the Lewis acidity of the telluronium centre. Cite this article
Zhao, H., Gabbaï, F. A bidentate Lewis acid with a telluronium ion as an anion-binding site. Nature Chem 2, 984–990 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.838 