Elucidation of the mechanism of the esterification of boric acid with aliphatic diols: a computational study to help set the record straight

We present a theoretical investigation on the esterification process for boron ester synthesis, considering boric acid and 2(R),4(S)-pentanediol as model boron and diol derivatives, respectively. We report an unprecedented mechanistic pathway, able to rationalise, in contrast with the reported ones, the relatively low Gibbs energies of activation and the pH dependence experimentally observed in the formation of boron esters. We believe that these findings will improve the possibility to predict cross-link reaction rates of boron esters as a fundamental tool in the rational design of functional materials based on boron-oxygen linkages.