boroncentered

Boroncentered is an adjective used in chemistry to describe molecules or ions in which boron is the central atom around which other atoms or groups are arranged. The term is used across several subfields, including boron cluster chemistry, organoboron chemistry, and materials science, to distinguish species in which boron plays the hub role from structures where boron is only a peripheral substituent.

In boron cluster chemistry, boron-centered motifs appear in symmetrical cage structures such as closo- and nido-boranes and their derivatives. These species are typically electron-deficient and rely on multicenter bonding, such as three-center two-electron bonds, to achieve stabilization. In organoboron chemistry, boron-centered compounds can act as Lewis acids or as cores for further functionalization; the boron center often bears partial positive charge and engages in dative or covalent bonding with bases.

Synthesis of boron-centered species often involves condensation of boron hydrides, haloboranes, or cage-forming reactions that assemble boron vertices around a core or within a cage. Reactivity is dominated by the boron center’s accepting character and by the delocalized bonding within the cluster, which can influence reactivity at distant sites.

Practical applications include catalysis, materials science, and biomedical uses such as boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), where boron-centered frameworks are employed to deliver boron to target tissues.

See also: boron cluster, carborane, borane, multicenter bonding, Lewis acidity.