Organoboron compounds are viewed as a crucial intermediate for a wide variety of reactions. The most notorious reaction that exemplifies the capability of organoboron reagents is the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction, which is used to generate carbon-carbon bonds under mild conditions. Because of the versatility of organoboron reagents, methods to selectively install boron remains crucial. Boron containing compounds have recently garnered significant interest in the medicinal chemistry field. Boron's unique properties allows the development of potential new boron-based drugs targeting novel signaling pathways with great efficacy. This dissertation describes the use of a diboron reagent to install boron on the electron withdrawing allenoate scaffold as well as on disubstituted 1,3-diynes. Lastly, this dissertation will cover the preliminary anti-fungal activity of a novel oxaborole scaffold. We investigated the borylation of the electron withdrawing allenoate scaffold. Reports in the literature were scarce and limited in the scope of the work or required the use of less available diboron reagents. We developed a method for the addition of the diboron reagent B2pin2 and a copper chloride catalyst at 60 °C to generate the (Z)-β-borylen-oate in an 18 – 81% yield. A diverse substrate scope was produced, with the reaction being very tolerable with both electron donating and electron withdrawing functional groups attached to the phenyl ring with yields ranging from 29 – 81%. To our delight as well, straight alkyl chains maintained the respective Z stereoselectivity while having yields range from 46 – 60%. During the reaction, activation of the diboron reagent using the copper catalyst in methanol then undergoes boryl-cupration that can subsequently be protonated to form the Z-product. The steric effect of the activated boron complex and the allenoate drives the stereoselectivity of the reaction. To continue the borylation of unique scaffolds, we developed a selective cis phosphinoboration of 1,3-diynes. In this reaction, a catalytic amount of tributyl phosphine and a diphenyl(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1-3-2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)phosphane is used to generate the corresponding cis 1,2-phosphinoboronate in yields ranging from 18 – 75%. The reaction is performed in dichloromethane at 40 °C. Substrates bearing an electron donating group on the phenyl ring resulted in the need for a longer reaction time and decreased yields (18 – 39%), while substrates bearing an electron withdrawing groups resulted in increased yields (55 – 72%). The phosphinoboration reaction was also tolerable towards heterocycles (64%) and alkyl groups (34 – 53%). This reaction is able to attach both boron and phosphorous simultaneously without the use of a transition metal. Mild oxidation using iodine resulted in oxidation of the phosphorous. The resulting product interestingly generated a B-O-P heterocycle. In medicinal chemistry, new boron containing scaffolds have shown promising preliminary anti-fungal activity. The oxaborole scaffold is widely seen as a privileged scaffold due to the unique ability of boron to behave as a pharmacophore. The five-membered ring in the oxaborole scaffold also enhances the Lewis acidity of the boron. Our group has previously identified a synthetic route in obtaining a novel 3-monosubstituted oxaborole scaffold. Herein, we have developed a small library of compounds that were tested against a variety of fungal strains. Assaying the library at 25 μg/mL identified multiple hits that allowed the development of a preliminary structure activity relationship profile. Compounds containing electron withdrawing groups on the phenyl ring demonstrated higher anti-fungal activity. This phenomenon is explained due to the change in Lewis acidity of the compound. Incorporating electron withdrawing groups increases the overall Lewis acidity of the oxaborole scaffold, and therefore allowing for stronger covalent interactions in the active site. Increasing the length of the scaffold resulted in a drastic loss in activity, suggesting a smaller scaffold is a necessity. Compounds containing a 4-fluoro, 4-chloro, 4-trifluoromethoxy, and 4-tetrafluoromethoxy were all compounds that consistently observed below 30% cell survival in the candida albicans, aspergillus niger, metarhizium anisopliiae, aspergillus flavus, penicillum chrysogenum, and saccharomyces cerevisiae fungal assays. To further explore the promising potential of the new scaffold, minimum inhibitory concentrations for our lead compounds will be conducted in the future. / Doctor of Philosophy / Boron-containing compounds are prevalent in a multitude of chemical reactions. Due to the versatility of organoborons in chemical transformations, the development for new chemical reactions that install boron is vital. Of great importance in the installation is the ability to perform the reactions under mild conditions and low cost under environmentally friendly fashion. Boron-containing drugs are also a unique scaffold due to the ability boron has in its ability to act as a drug. Boron is able to covalently bind to molecules in the active site, creating an "anchor" that can then therefore deliver the respective therapeutic effect. This dissertation discusses two reactions that install boron in a selective fashion on challenging substrates. The first chapter discusses the installation of boron on a challenging allene scaffold. The focus of the installation is to maintain selectivity of where the boron ends up on the resulting product which we were successful in. The following chapter discusses the installation of both boron and phosphorous in a one-step fashion. Previous methods would require more steps, harsher conditions, and lower overall yields while we can now circumnavigate these challenges in our new method. The third part of my dissertation will discuss the discovery of a novel boron-containing drug scaffold that has promising anti-fungal activity. Anti-fungal drugs are usually difficult to come by, allowing for our scaffold to shine in a challenging field. We have identified multiple hits in our preliminary assays and we can show that manipulating the potential reactivity of the boron can result in greater or lesser anti-fungal activity.

Organoboron compounds are highly valued synthetic intermediates due to their diverse array of reactivity, which is often utilized in the synthesis of valuable organic molecules. For this reason, there is significant interest in the development of novel borylation protocols, especially those whose products are suitable for further synthetic transformations towards valuable classes of compounds. Research in organoboron synthesis has been geared heavily toward transition metal-catalyzed addition to double and triple bonds, though an increasing number of publications detail transition metal-free borylation techniques involving substrate-mediated activation of a diboron reagent. This dissertation describes the author's contributions to the development of both a transition metal-catalyzed diboration and a transition metal-free protoboration. A transition metal-free diboration of alkynamides is described in Chapter 1 which uses the unsymmetrical, differentially protected diboron reagent, pinBBdan. The method installs both boron moieties in a regio- and stereoselective fashion. The products have synthetic value because they are shown to have chemoselectivity in downstream cross-coupling reactions; chemoselectivity is made possible by to the significant difference in Lewis acidity of the pinacol and diaminonapthalene-protected boron centers. This method allows for facile synthesis of tetrasubstituted alkenes with a set geometry about the double bond. A protoboration of allenes employing a Cu(II) catalyst under aqueous and atmospheric conditions is described. Though Cu(I)-catalyzed allene protoboration is well-described in the literature, this is the first report of an analogous Cu(II)-mediated process. The selectivity of the reaction is ligand-controlled, and moderate to good regioselectivities and yields can be achieved through use of a triphenylphosphine as ligand. The method is an environmentally friendly and facile means by which to borylate a challenging cumulated substrate. / Ph. D. / Organoboron compounds are valuable because of their ability to undergo a wide variety of chemical transformations, and they are often used as intermediates in the synthesis of challenging target molecules. In order for this reactivity to be exploited, methods must exist for the efficient synthesis of the desired boron-containing compound. This dissertation describes the author’s contributions to the development of two new methods by which to synthesize organoboron products. The first method involves installation of two differently ligated boron moieties onto an alkynamide substrate to produce a single, uncommon trans isomer as product. A synthetic application of these diboration products is described. The second method involves installation of a single boron moiety into allenes. Though the same overall transformation has been achieved in the literature with use of highly air-sensitive catalysts and organic solvents, the described method entails use of air-stable CuSO4 as catalyst and water as solvent. Therefore, the method is operationally simple and environmentally friendly relative to previously described methods.

The versatility of organoboron compounds has been demonstrated by their use as synthetic intermediates and more recently in therapeutic applications since the FDA approval of Velcade©. As a result, transition metal-catalyzed protocols to incorporate boron reagents into unsaturated compounds have been extensively researched. While an abundance of literature protocols have been reported, the majority utilize harsh reaction conditions in combination with expensive reagents. This dissertation discloses the author’s contributions to the development of efficient, cost-effective, and operationally simple transition metal-catalyzed borylation protocols with alkynes and diboron reagents. An open-to-air copper(II)-catalyzed aqueous borylation protocol of alkynoates and a symmetrical diboron reagent is reported. Conjugate addition of the boryl-copper species to the electrophilic β-carbon provided β-boryl-α,β-unsaturated esters in moderate to excellent yields. Exclusive (Z)-stereochemistry was confirmed by nOe experiments. The resulting vinyl boronate esters are useful cross-coupling partners. The scope of the aqueous β-borylation protocol was extended to the unsymmetrical diboron reagent, pinB-Bdan. This alternative protecting group has emerged as an orthogonal protecting group and alters the reactivity of the boron moiety. Activation of the pinacol moiety to form the Lewis acid-base adduct allowed for the chemoselective transfer of the 1,8- diaminonapthalene moiety to the β-carbon. An alternative novel synthesis of vinyl, allyl diboronate esters from propargylic alcohols has also been described. Formation of a leaving group in-situ with a palladium- and coppercatalyzed protocol can lead to several competing reaction pathways and the formation of multiple products. Fortunately, the resulting vinyl, allyl diboronate esters were stereoselectively synthesized in moderate GC yields despite significate decomposition during purification, as confirmed by stability studies. The terminal diboration of allenes was previously the only reported method for the synthesis of vinyl, allyl diboronate esters. / Ph. D. / The unique properties of organoboron compounds allow them to be used as synthetic intermediates and as drugs targets. This dissertation discloses three environmentally friendly and simple methods to incorporate boron into alkynes using transition metal catalysts. In particular, alkynoates were successfully borylated under copper(II)-catalyzed aqueous conditions using symmetrical and unsymmetrical diboron reagents. Propargylic alcohols were also borylated using bimetallic conditions to afford vinyl, allyl diboronate esters, which were previously hard to obtain.

This report is an investigation of regioselectivity in transition metal catalyzed ring-opening reactions involving unsymmetrical oxabicycles, specifically with a substituent at the C1 position. This report also provides the details of the work conducted towards the preparation of various oxanorbornadienes and their precursors. A large number of reactions have been developed using various transition metal catalysts on oxabicyclic alkenes to form functionalized organic scaffolds. However, most of the literature is limited to symmetrical substrates. Introduction of a substituent at the bridgehead carbon of the bicyclic ring makes the molecule unsymmetrical. The implications of loss of the plane of symmetry in C1 substituted oxabicyclic ring are manifested in interesting ways during various metal catalyzed reactions. The fundamental basis for the current work is to study the consequences of transition metal catalyzed ring opening reactions of unsymmetrical bicyclic alkenes. The reactivity of a wide range of C1 substituted benzoxanorbornadienes and oxanorbornadienes in palladium and nickel-catalyzed ring opening reactions was explored. The palladium catalyzed ring opening reaction of both electron rich and electron deficient C1 substituted benzoxanorbornadienes are optimized. The ring opening reactions with electron withdrawing C1 substituent resulted in formation of substituted naphthalene-1-carboxylic acid methyl ester derivatives in up to 85% yield. Electron donating substituents on the C1 position of benzoxanorbornadiene led to the formation of substituted cis-1,2-dihydronaphthol rings in excellent yields. Palladium catalyzed ring opening reactions were also explored with a wide range of aryl iodides and halobenzenes. The electronic and steric effects of the substituent at the C1 position of oxabicyles were also investigated. The nickel catalyzed ring opening reactions resulted in formation of inseparable regioisomeric mixtures of products. However, it was found that the nickel catalyzed ring opening of 1-methoxycarbonyl-7-oxabenzonorbornadiene occurred regioselectively affording a single product. A scalable procedure for preparation of large quantities of 2-bromofuran was developed. 2-Aryl furans were prepared using Suzuki cross coupling protocols of 2-bromofuran with aryl boronic acids whereas 2-alkyl furans were prepared by iron catalyzed cross coupling reaction of 2-bromofuran with various alkyl and cycloalkyl Grignard reagents. The 2-substituted furans were used for the preparation of novel C1 substituted benzoxanorbornadiene and oxanorbornadienes.