The chemistry of boron compounds has experienced rapid progress. This is due to impressive developments in synthetic methodologies, which have made accessible even exotic chemical scaffolds while also expanding the role of boron compounds in a wide variety of coupling reactions and functional group transformations. Their wider molecular scope and commercial availability, including bulk quantities, has enhanced the importance of boron-containing compounds in biology and materials science.

The Virtual Chemistry Course is an excellent opportunity to introduce students to new concepts and directions in boron chemistry. The lectures will give an overview of recent developments in the field. The focus will be put on the relevant classes of boron compounds, synthetic methods to access boron-containing scaffolds, their properties, applications of boron compounds in catalysis, and properties that arise from embedding boron into pi-conjugated scaffolds along with applications of boron-containing compounds in organic electronics and bioimaging. The talks will also provide insight into spectroscopic and theoretical tools to study selected classes of these fascinating compounds.