TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preparation: The 2H-benzotriazole compounds are prepared from the condensation reaction of an aromatic boronate and bromide. A90-A97 = H, halogen, especially fluorine, hydroxy, 1-24C alkyl, 1-24C alkyl that is substituted by E and/or interrupted by D, 1-24C perfluoroalkyl, 1-24C perfluoroaryl, especially pentafluorophenyl, 5-12C cycloalkyl, 5-12C cycloalkyl substituted by G and/or interrupted by S-, -O-, or -NR25-, 5-12C cycloalkoxy, 5-12C cycloalkoxy substituted by G, 6-24C aryl, 6-24C aryl substituted by G, 2-20C heteroaryl, 2-20C heteroaryl substituted by G, 2-24C alkenyl, 2-24C alkynyl, 1-24C alkoxy, 1-24C alkoxy substituted by E and/or interrupted by D, 7-25C aralkyl, 7-25C aralkyl substituted by G, 7-25C aralkoxy, 7-25C aralkoxy substituted by G, or -CO-R28;    E2 = -CR23=CR24-, especially -CX68X69-;    E2' = -SiR30R31-, or -POR32-, especially -S-, -O-, or -NR25'-;    R25' = 1-24C alkyl or 6-10C aryl;    X68, X69, X78, X79, X88, X8 = 1-18C alkyl, 1-24C alkyl that is substituted by E and/or interrupted by D, 6-24C aryl, 6-24C aryl substituted by G, 2-20C heteroaryl, 2-20C heteroaryl substituted by G, 2-24C alkenyl, 2-24C alkynyl, 1-24C alkoxy substituted by E and/or interrupted by D, or 7-25C aralkyl;    D = -CO-, -COO-, -S-, -SO-, -SO2-, -O-, -NR25-, -SiR30R31-, -POR32-, -CR23=CR24-, or -Ctriple bondC-;    E = -OR29, -SR29, -NR25R26, -COR28, -COOR27, -CONR25R26, -CN, -OCOOR27, or halogen;    G = E or 1-24C alkyl;    R23-R26 = H, 6-18C aryl, 6-18C aryl substituted by 1-24C alkyl or 1-24C alkoxy, 1-24C alkyl, 1-24C alkyl interrupted by -O-, formula Q, or R25 and R26 together form a five or six membered ring, in particular formulae R - V;    R27, R28 = H, 6-18C aryl, 6-18C aryl substituted by 1-24C alkyl or 1-24C alkoxy, or 1-24C alkyl interrupted by -O-;    R29 = H, 6-18C aryl, 6-18C aryl substituted by 1-24C alkyl or 1-24C alkoxy, 1-24C alkyl, or 1-24C alkyl interrupted by -O-;    R30, R31 = 1-24C alkyl, 6-18C aryl, or 6-18C aryl substituted with 1-24C alkyl; and    R32 = 1-24C alkyl, 6-18C aryl, or 6-18C aryl substituted by 1-24C alkyl.    SPECIFIC COMPOUNDS - 61 2H-benzotriazole compounds are specifically disclosed, e.g. formulae (A-1)-(A-23), (B-1)-(B-16), (C-1)-(C-8), (D-1)-(D-10), (E-1), (E-2), (F-1), and (F-2).    EXAMPLE - In the first step, 4-bromoaniline (58.14 mmol) was dissolved in 200 ml water using 174 mmol hydrochloric acid. The mixture was cooled to 0 degrees C and sodium nitrite (58.1 mmol) in 30 ml water was added dropwise over 30 minutes. After 45 minutes the diazonium salt was added via cannula to a mixture of 1-amino-4-bromonaphthalene (58.14 mmol) in 300 ml ethanol at 0 degrees C. After 2 hours, sodium carbonate (80.2 retool) in 100 ml water was added dropwise to produce a pH of 7. After an additional 30 minutes, the red precipitate was filtered and washed with water. The brown-red solid was triturated in 100 ml methanol overnight, filtered, and dried. The product was dried in vacuo to give a bright red solid in 91 % yield.    In the second step, the product from the above process (49.37 mmol) and copper (II) acetate (0.49 mmol) was mixed with tert-amyl alcohol (250 ml) and the mixture heated to 80 degrees C. Tert-butyl hydroperoxide (98.7 mmol) was slowly added and the reaction was monitored by TLC. The flask was cooled to room temperature and the product filtered with tert-amyl alcohol, the volatiles removed in vacuo to give a light brown solid. The product was titrated in methanol (30 ml) overnight, filtered and dried to give an off-white solid (yield 77 %).    The third step comprises dry stirring magnesium turnings (68.7 mmol) under argon for 1 hour. Ether (32 ml) was added, followed by 2 drops of dibromoethane. 4-bromo-4'-tert-butylbiphenyl in 20 ml ether and 25 ml THF was added dropwise over 1 hour. The mixture was refluxed for 2 hours at 37 degrees C. Separately, triisopropylborate (41 mmol) and 30 ml THF were cooled to -78 degrees C under argon. The above Grignard reagent was added via cannula and the reaction allowed to stir at -78 C for 1 hour. The flask was warmed to room temperature and stirred for an additional hour and the mixture poured into a flask containing HCl/water and stirred for 2 hours. The beige product was filtered and washed with water. Removal of volatiles in vacuo gave an off-white solid (yield 64 %).    The product from the second step (0.94 mmol), and the product from the third step (2.83 mmol), palladium tetrakis(triphenylphosphine) (8.6 micromol) and N-N-dimethylacetamide (10 ml) were purged with argon for 2 hours. The base solution (2.0 ml) (2.8 mmol) was then added to the first flask under argon. The mixture was heated to 100 degrees C overnight and cooled. TLC showed one spot (hexanes: ethyl acetate, 1:1). Water (20 ml) was added and the product removed via filtration. Washing with water (20 ml) followed by methanol (20 ml) and drying in vacuo gave a an solid (yield: 87 %). The product was subsequently purified using zone sublimation. MS (EI): 662 (M+1).