Clicking not cooking: Functionalization of 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridines by diol–boric acid interactions

A diol–boric acid condensation is a simple type of CLICK reaction that can be applied to give a family of related ligands. It is exemplified by the reaction of 4′-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (1) with naphthalene-1-boronic acid. The single crystal structures of 1.MeOH and [Fe(1)2][BF4]2∙ 4H2O∙0.2CH3CN are presented.