All Boronic Acids

Boronic acids are a versatile class of organic compounds that can be used as reagents for chemical synthesis. They have the ability to form reversible covalent bonds with hydroxy groups, which can be exploited to activate carboxylic acids, alcohols, diols and saccharides for various transformations. Boronic acids can also act as catalysts for some reactions involving hydroxy functional groups. Some of the applications of boronic acids as reagents for chemical synthesis are:

• Formation of amides from carboxylic acids and amines
• Cycloadditions and conjugate additions with unsaturated carboxylic acids
• Friedel–Crafts-type reactions with alcohols and arenes
• Formation of carbocation intermediates from alcohols
• Formation of boronic esters from diols and saccharides
• Synthesis of functionalized glycosides from boronic esters

Boronic acids offer several advantages over conventional reagents for chemical synthesis, such as mild reaction conditions, high atom-economy, selectivity and reversibility. They are also compatible with a wide range of functional groups and substrates. Boronic acids are therefore valuable building blocks for the construction of complex molecules in organic chemistry.