At the atomic-cluster scale, pure boron is markedly similar to carbon, forming simple planar molecules and cage-like fullerenes. Theoretical studies predict that two-dimensional (2D) boron sheets will adopt an atomic configuration similar to that of boron atomic clusters. We synthesized atomically thin, crystalline 2D boron sheets (i.e., borophene) on silver surfaces under ultrahigh-vacuum cond...

An interesting feature of elemental boron and boron compounds is the occurrence of highly symmetric icosahedral clusters. The rich chemistry of boron is also dominated by three-dimensional cage structures. Despite its proximity to carbon in the periodic table, elemental boron clusters have been scarcely studied experimentally and their structures and chemical bonding have not been fully elucida...

Small boron clusters as individual species in the gas phase are reviewed. While the family of known boron compounds is rich and diverse, a large body of hitherto unknown chemistry of boron has been recently identified. Free boron clusters have been recently characterized using photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculations, which have established the planar or quasi-planar shapes of smal...

A synthetic methodology is developed to generate boron rich aromatic small molecules based on benzene and pyrene moieties for the detection of thermal neutrons. The prepared aromatic compounds have a relatively high boron content up to 7.4 wt%, which is important for application in neutron detection as (10)B (20% of natural abundance boron) has a large neutron induced reaction cross-section. Th...

A class of transition-metal-centered aromatic boron wheels (D(nh)-M©B(n)(q-)) have been recently produced and characterized according to an electronic design principle. Here we investigate the interplay between electronic and geometric requirements for the molecular wheels using the case of VB(10)(-), which is isoelectronic to the decacoordinated molecular wheels, Ta©B(10)(-) and Nb©B(10)(-). P...

New and exciting developments in boron research in the past few years greatly contributed to better understanding of the role of boron in plants. Purification and identification of the first boron-polyol transport molecules resolved much of the controversy about boron phloem mobility. Isolation and characterization of the boron-polysaccharide complex from cell walls provided the first direct ev...

Various types of zero, one, and two-dimensional boron nanomaterials such as nanoclusters, nanowires, nanotubes, nanobelts, nanoribbons, nanosheets, and monolayer crystalline sheets named borophene have been experimentally synthesized and identified in the last 20 years. Owing to their low dimensionality, boron nanomaterials have different bonding configurations from those of three-dimensional b...

Recent years have seen rapid advances in the chemistry of small molecules containing electron-precise boron-boron bonds. This Review provides an overview of the latest methods for the controlled synthesis of B-B single and multiple bonds as well as the ever-expanding range of reactivity displayed by B-B multiple bonds.

Boronic acids are versatile reagents for the chemical synthesis of organic molecules. They and other boron-containing compounds can be detected readily by the interruption of the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) of 10-hydroxybenzo[h]quinolone. This method is highly sensitive and selective, and useful for monitoring synthetic reactions and detecting boron-containing compounds...