# University of Würzburg isolates three stable oxoboranes in the lab

- Published: 2026-11-07 14:50 UTC
- Section: Science › Chemistry
- Tags: University of Würzburg, oxoboranes isolation, boron oxygen triple bond, Holger Braunschweig, diboracumulene reaction
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-f5cc102411e2ebd0406515b1_university_of_w/

**Chemists have synthesized and isolated three stable organic oxoboranes with boron-oxygen triple bonds, ending a search lasting more than 60 years.**

![University of Würzburg isolates three stable oxoboranes in the lab](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/2954fbea24c1e088.webp)
*sciencedaily.com*

Chemists at the University of Würzburg in Germany have developed a synthesis method to produce and isolate three distinct stable oxoboranes under standard laboratory conditions, sciencedaily.com reported. The team led by Professor Holger Braunschweig, alongside doctoral researchers Lukas Lubczyk and Christian Markl, collaborated with computational chemists directed by Professor Ashwini K. Phukan at Tezpur University in India to resolve a problem that had persisted since the early 1960s [1].

Boron rarely forms triple bonds in which two atoms share three pairs of electrons. For over 15 years, Braunschweig's laboratory focused on creating unusual bonding motifs centered on boron, synthesizing the first molecule with a boron-boron triple bond in 2012 and the first neutral molecule containing a boron-carbon triple bond in 2025 [1]. Oxoboranes, which feature a triple bond between boron and oxygen, had previously eluded isolation, being observed exclusively through transient trapping experiments under extreme conditions.

## Spontaneous reaction yields orange and yellow solids

The synthesis occurred during investigations into the reactivity of diboracumulene with various ketones, which serve as standard organic substrates. Lubczyk and Markl independently observed that mixing these starting materials generated distinctive orange and yellow solids. Analysis confirmed that the oxoboranes formed as the primary products of these reactions rather than minor side components [1].

## Expanding the scope of unusual bonding motifs

The reaction pathway demonstrates that oxoboranes can spontaneously form from relatively simple starting components without decomposing immediately. Because the approach successfully produced three distinct oxoborane variants, the researchers are investigating the broader applicability of this reaction framework across related chemical systems [1].

The international team plans to determine whether analogous synthetic pathways can stabilize other elusive bond combinations involving elements throughout the periodic table. The study received financial support from the German Research Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service, and the Department of Science and Technology of India.

## Sources

1. [sciencedaily.com](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/11/261103003205.htm)
2. [ua.news](https://ua.news/en/dovkolo-svitu/u-nimechchini-izoliuvali-stabilni-oksoborani-pislia-60-rokiv-poshukiv-sciencedaily)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-f5cc102411e2ebd0406515b1_university_of_w/