Synthesis and Photochemical Uncaging of Alkene-Protected, Polymer-Bound Vicinal Frustrated Lewis Pairs

• DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c09012
• Publication Date: 2024-08-26T14:52:35Z
• Authors: Emily A. Latif; Jeremy D. Hilgar; Nathan A. Romero
• Keywords: Frustrated Lewis pair; Vicinal; Alkene; Boranes; Reactive intermediate

Polymeric materials bearing Frustrated Lewis Pair (FLP) functionality are promising candidates for use as heterogeneous catalysts and adaptive materials, but synthetic access to FLP-functional polymers remains limited due the incompatibility of FLPs with standard polymerization chemistries. Herein, we describe a approach that "cages" highly reactive vicinal phosphine-borane covalent alkene adducts, which stable Ni-mediated vinyl addition polymerization. We discovered caged FLP adducts can be photochemically activated liberate FLPs, enabling spatiotemporally controlled release from polymeric precursors.