title: Extensive structural rearrangements upon reduction of 9H-9-borafluorene.
abstract: Common wisdom has it that organoboranes are readily oxidized. Described herein is that also their reduction can result in remarkable chemistry. Treatment of dimeric 9H-9-borafluorene with Li metal in toluene yields two strikingly different classes of compounds. One part of the sample reacts in a way similar to B2H6, thus affording an aryl(hydro)borane cluster reminiscent of the [B3H8](-) anion. The other part furnishes a dianionic boron-doped graphene flake devoid of hydrogen substituents at the boron centers and featuring a central B=B bond. A change in the solvent to THF allows an isolation of this dibenzo[g,p]chrysene analogue in good yields.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Anorganische Chemie, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 7, 60438 Frankfurt (Main) (Germany).
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hübner
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bolte
authors.forename: Hans-Wolfram
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Lerner
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wagner
keywords: boron; cluster compounds; rearrangement; reduction; structure elucidation