Electrochemistry of closo-dodecaborate dianion and its simple exo-skeletal derivatives at carbon electrodes in aqueous phosphate buffers

The principle building blocks of fully synthetic boron cluster compounds are electron deficient chemical clusters, which consist only of boron and hydrogen atoms and their derivatives are characterized by exo-skeletal substituents. Unique medical promises of these compounds and their use as biomarkers cause the need for systematic investigation of their physico-chemical properties, particularly those utilizable in efficient analytical methods suitable for their characterization and determination, including electrochemical activity of the boron cluster species in water. The water soluble closo-dodecaborate divalent anion and its seven simple derivatives have been chosen for introductory study with pyrolytic and glassy carbon graphite electrodes. All anions exhibited electrochemical activity that has shown dependence on atoms and functional groups bonded to the cage boron atoms of the closo-dodecaborane cluster. The most water soluble derivative with one hydroxy group exhibited the best pronounced electrochemical behavior, and was therefore chosen for a basic electrochemical characterization.