Potassium 2,3-difluoro-4-pentylphenyltrifluoroborate

Description

Potassium 2,3-difluoro-4-pentylphenyltrifluoroborate is a potassium organotrifluoroborate – the tetracoordinate, air-stable counterpart of the corresponding boronic acid, built on a benzene core with a pentyl chain and two lateral fluorines on adjacent ring positions.

The practical argument for a trifluoroborate is stoichiometric honesty. Boronic acids equilibrate with their cyclic anhydrides (boroxines) and carry variable water, so a weighed sample is of uncertain composition. The trifluoroborate is a defined crystalline salt: it weighs what it is, tolerates air and moisture on the bench, and releases the active boron species only under the hydrolytic conditions of the reaction itself.

Key data

• Molecular formula: C11H13BF5K
• Molecular weight: 290.12 g/mol
• Category: Potassium Trifluoroborates

What the substitution pattern does

The pentyl chain places this compound at n=5 in its homologous series. Chain length is not a cosmetic variable here: each added methylene lowers the melting point unevenly and shifts the balance between nematic and smectic order, because an odd-numbered chain sets its terminal bond at a different angle to the molecular long axis than an even one. Homologues therefore alternate in behaviour rather than trending smoothly, and an odd-numbered member frequently outperforms both of its neighbours for a given formulation.

Two fluorines on adjacent ring positions point their combined dipole across the molecular long axis, not along it. Lateral 2,3-difluorination is the standard route to negative dielectric anisotropy – the property required by vertically aligned display modes, where the field must reorient molecules that start out perpendicular to the substrate.

Typical applications

• formulation of negative-dielectric-anisotropy mixtures for VA display modes
• reactions run in air, on the open bench, without glovebox handling
• automated and parallel synthesis, where accurate solid dispensing matters
• preparation of fluorinated biphenyls for display-grade liquid crystal blends
• Suzuki-Miyaura coupling where a weighable, non-hygroscopic boron source is required

Ordering

This compound is supplied to order. Pricing depends on quantity and on the specification you need, so it is quoted rather than listed – send an enquiry stating the quantity and any purity or analytical requirement, and you will receive a written quotation.

Handling and documentation

Supplied for laboratory and industrial use by trained personnel only. Not for use as a medicine, food, cosmetic or biocide, and not for administration to humans or animals. Safety documentation is issued with the order; this page is not a source of hazard information.