Phase-transfer-catalyst enabled enantioselective C–N coupling to access chiral boron-stereogenic BODIPYs

Abstract Tetracoordinate boron-based fluorescent materials have shown extensively applications in chemistry, biology and materials science owing to their unique optoelectronic properties. However, constructing chiral boron-stereogenic fluorophores through practical and universal strategies remains r...

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Main Authors: Xue-Qing Zhang, Xiao-Juan Lv, Luying Guo, Juan Ma, Bin Su, Yuefei Hu, Lijuan Jiao, Zhong-Yuan Li, Erhong Hao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-03-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58117-6
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author Xue-Qing Zhang
Xiao-Juan Lv
Luying Guo
Juan Ma
Bin Su
Yuefei Hu
Lijuan Jiao
Zhong-Yuan Li
Erhong Hao
author_facet Xue-Qing Zhang
Xiao-Juan Lv
Luying Guo
Juan Ma
Bin Su
Yuefei Hu
Lijuan Jiao
Zhong-Yuan Li
Erhong Hao
author_sort Xue-Qing Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Tetracoordinate boron-based fluorescent materials have shown extensively applications in chemistry, biology and materials science owing to their unique optoelectronic properties. However, constructing chiral boron-stereogenic fluorophores through practical and universal strategies remains rare and challenging. Herein, as a proof of concept, we report an enantioselective postfunctionalization of boron dipyrromethene dyes (BODIPYs), to acess boron-stereogenic BODIPYs in moderate to good yields with commendable enantioselectivity. Chiral BODIPYs have attracted increasing attention owing to not only their distinctively photophysical properties and applications in circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials, but also diversely structural modification. In this·work, we present a phase-transfer-catalyst enabled enantioselective C–N coupling reaction of BODIPYs with diverse nucleophiles. This method serves as a practical SNAr (nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction) route to achieve a series of boron-stereogenic amido/amino BODIPYs as well as demonstrates their promising CD and·CPL·activities, excellent biocompatibility, and high specificities, showing potential applications as chiral fluorescent imaging agents.
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spelling doaj-art-a547ab7768f94bd8818e3f90c83b5bbf2025-08-20T03:41:49ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-03-0116111010.1038/s41467-025-58117-6Phase-transfer-catalyst enabled enantioselective C–N coupling to access chiral boron-stereogenic BODIPYsXue-Qing Zhang0Xiao-Juan Lv1Luying Guo2Juan Ma3Bin Su4Yuefei Hu5Lijuan Jiao6Zhong-Yuan Li7Erhong Hao8Anhui Laboratory of Molecule-Based Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal UniversityAnhui Laboratory of Molecule-Based Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal UniversityAnhui Laboratory of Molecule-Based Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal UniversityAnhui Laboratory of Molecule-Based Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal UniversityAnhui Laboratory of Molecule-Based Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal UniversityAnhui Laboratory of Molecule-Based Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal UniversityAnhui Laboratory of Molecule-Based Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal UniversityAnhui Laboratory of Molecule-Based Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal UniversityAnhui Laboratory of Molecule-Based Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Anhui Normal UniversityAbstract Tetracoordinate boron-based fluorescent materials have shown extensively applications in chemistry, biology and materials science owing to their unique optoelectronic properties. However, constructing chiral boron-stereogenic fluorophores through practical and universal strategies remains rare and challenging. Herein, as a proof of concept, we report an enantioselective postfunctionalization of boron dipyrromethene dyes (BODIPYs), to acess boron-stereogenic BODIPYs in moderate to good yields with commendable enantioselectivity. Chiral BODIPYs have attracted increasing attention owing to not only their distinctively photophysical properties and applications in circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials, but also diversely structural modification. In this·work, we present a phase-transfer-catalyst enabled enantioselective C–N coupling reaction of BODIPYs with diverse nucleophiles. This method serves as a practical SNAr (nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction) route to achieve a series of boron-stereogenic amido/amino BODIPYs as well as demonstrates their promising CD and·CPL·activities, excellent biocompatibility, and high specificities, showing potential applications as chiral fluorescent imaging agents.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58117-6
spellingShingle Xue-Qing Zhang
Xiao-Juan Lv
Luying Guo
Juan Ma
Bin Su
Yuefei Hu
Lijuan Jiao
Zhong-Yuan Li
Erhong Hao
Phase-transfer-catalyst enabled enantioselective C–N coupling to access chiral boron-stereogenic BODIPYs
Nature Communications
title Phase-transfer-catalyst enabled enantioselective C–N coupling to access chiral boron-stereogenic BODIPYs
title_full Phase-transfer-catalyst enabled enantioselective C–N coupling to access chiral boron-stereogenic BODIPYs
title_fullStr Phase-transfer-catalyst enabled enantioselective C–N coupling to access chiral boron-stereogenic BODIPYs
title_full_unstemmed Phase-transfer-catalyst enabled enantioselective C–N coupling to access chiral boron-stereogenic BODIPYs
title_short Phase-transfer-catalyst enabled enantioselective C–N coupling to access chiral boron-stereogenic BODIPYs
title_sort phase transfer catalyst enabled enantioselective c n coupling to access chiral boron stereogenic bodipys
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58117-6
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