Boron atom

Methods of producing B —C bonds include hydroboration, nucleophilic displacement at a boron atom in BX., (X = halogens or B(0R>3) by e.g. a Grignard reagent, and a psewiio-Friedel-Crafts reaction with an aromatic hydrocarbon, BX3, and AICI3. 

This compound, which contains atoms arranged tetrahedrally around the boron atom, can readily be isolated from a mixture of dimethyl ether and boron trichloride. On occasions a chlorine atom, in spite of its high election affinity, will donate an electron pair, an example being found in the dimerisation of gaseous monomeric aluminium chloride to give the more stable Al2Clg in which each aluminium has a tetrahedral configuration ... 

Aluminium tetrahydridoborate is a volatile liquid. It is the most volatile aluminium compound known. It is covalent and does not contain ions but has a hydrogen-bridge structure like that of diborane, i.e. each boron atom is attached to the aluminium by two hydrogen bridges ... 

Boranes are typical species with electron-deficient bonds, where a chemical bond has more centers than electrons. The smallest molecule showing this property is diborane. Each of the two B-H-B bonds (shown in Figure 2-60a) contains only two electrons, while the molecular orbital extends over three atoms. A correct representation has to represent the delocalization of the two electrons over three atom centers as shown in Figure 2-60b. Figure 2-60c shows another type of electron-deficient bond. In boron cage compounds, boron-boron bonds share their electron pair with the unoccupied atom orbital of a third boron atom [86]. These types of bonds cannot be accommodated in a single VB model of two-electron/ two-centered bonds. 

Substituents containing boron are of interest because of the possibility which the boron atom offers of conjugation of a vacant orbital with the 77-electrons of the benzene ring (—717). The case of phenylboronic acid has been discussed ( 5.3.4). 

Organic ring systems are named by replacement nomenclature. Three- to ten-membered mono-cyclic ring systems containing uncharged boron atoms may be named by the specialist nomenclature for heterocyclic systems. Organic derivatives are named as outlined for substitutive nomenclature. The complexity of boron nomenclature precludes additional details the text by Rigaudy and Klesney should be consulted. 

The 4 point group is that to which a regular icosahedron, illustrated in Figure 4.13(a), belongs. It contains 20 equilateral triangles arranged in a three-dimensional sttucture. This is the conformation of the anion, in which there is a boron atom, with a hydrogen atom... 

Figure 8.16 shows the B l spectmm of the B5FI9 molecule. The boron atoms are situated at the comers of a square pyramid. There are four B-FI-B bridging hydrogen atoms and... 

The boron atom in boron trifluoride is hybridized to the sp planar configuration and consequently is coordinatively unsaturated, ie, a Lewis acid. Its chemistry centers around satisfying this unsaturation by the formation with Lewis bases of adducts that are nearly tetrahedral sp [ The electrophilic properties (acid strengths) of the trihaloboranes have been found to increase in the order BF < BCl < BBr < BI (3,4). 

Adducts of BF and some organic compounds having labile hydrogen atoms in the vicinity of the atom bonding to the boron atom of BF may form a derivative of BF by splitting out HF. For example, P-diketones such as acetylacetone or benzoylacetone react with BF in benzene (38) ... 

Boron trifluoride is also employed in nuclear technology by uti1i2ing several nuclear characteristics of the boron atom. Of the two isotopes, B and B, only B has a significant absorption cross section for thermal neutrons. It is used in " BF as a neutron-absorbing medium in proportional neutron counters and for controlling nuclear reactors (qv). Some of the complexes of trifluoroborane have been used for the separation of the boron isotopes and the enrichment of B as (84). 

Table 1 Hsts some of the physical properties of duoroboric acid. It is a strong acid in water, equal to most mineral acids in strength and has a p p o of —4.9 as compared to —4.3 for nitric acid (9). The duoroborate ion contains a neady tetrahedral boron atom with almost equidistant B—F bonds in the sohd state. Although lattice effects and hydrogen bonding distort the ion, the average B—F distance is 0.138 nm the F—B—F angles are neady the theoretical 109° (10,11). Raman spectra on molten, ie, Hquid NaBF agree with the symmetrical tetrahedral stmcture (12).

The a-rhombohedral form of boron has the simplest crystal stmcture with slightly deformed cubic close packing. At 1200°C a-rhombohedral boron degrades, and at 1500°C converts to P-rhombohedral boron, which is the most thermodynamically stable form. The unit cell has 104 boron atoms, a central B 2 icosahedron, and 12 pentagonal pyramids of boron atom directed outward. Twenty additional boron atoms complete a complex coordination (2). 

The a-tetragonal form of boron has a unit cell B qC2 or B qN2 it always has a carbon or nitrogen in the crystal. The cell is centered a single-boron atom is coordinated to four icosahedrons (4Bj2 + 2B). The -tetragonal form has a unit cell of 192 boron atoms but is not, as of this writing, totally defined. 

The triaLkoxy(aryloxy)boranes are typically monomeric, soluble in most organic solvents, and dissolve in water with hydrolysis to form boric acid and the corresponding alcohol and phenol. Although the rate of hydrolysis is usually very fast, it is dependent on the bulk of the alkyl or aryl substituent groups bonded to the boron atom. Secondary and tertiary alkyl esters are generally more stable than the primary alkyl esters. The boron atom in these compounds is in a trigonal coplanar state with bond hybridization. A vacantp orbital exists along the threefold axis perpendicular to the BO plane. 

Table 1 fists many metal borides and their observed melting points. Most metals form mote than one boride phase and borides often form a continuous series of solid solutions with one another at elevated temperatures thus close composition control is necessary to achieve particular properties. The relatively small size of boron atoms facilitates diffusion. 

Properties. Boron carbide has a rhombohedral stmcture consisting of an array of nearly regular icosahedra, each having twelve boron atoms at the vertices and three carbon atoms ia a linear chain outside the icosahedra (3,4,6,7). Thus a descriptive chemical formula would be [12075-36-4]. 

Each boron atom is bonded to five others ia the icosahedron as well as either to a carbon atom or to a boron atom ia an adjacent icosahedron. The stmcture is similar to that of rhombohedral boron (see Boron, elemental). The theoretical density for B22C2 is 2.52 g/mL. The rigid framework of... 

When a boron atom of a borane is replaced by a heteroelement, the compounds are called carbaboranes, phosphaboranes, thiaboranes, a2aboranes, etc, by an adaptation of organic replacement nomenclature. The numbering of the skeleton in heteroboranes is such that the heteroelement is given the lowest possible number consistent with the conventions of the parent borane. Thus C2B2H is dicarba- /(9j (9-pentaborane(5) and could occur as the 1,2-, 2,3-, or 1,5-isomeric forms (l,2-dicarba- /(9j (9-pentaborane(5) [23777-70-0] 2,3-dicarba- /(9j (9-pentaborane(5) [30396-61-3] and... 

The valence theory (4) includes both types of three-center bonds shown as well as normal two-center, B—B and B—H, bonds. For example, one resonance stmcture of pentaborane(9) is given in projection in Figure 6. An octet of electrons about each boron atom is attained only if three-center bonds are used in addition to two-center bonds. In many cases involving boron hydrides the valence stmcture can be deduced. First, the total number of orbitals and valence electrons available for bonding are determined. Next, the B—H and B—H—B bonds are accounted for. Finally, the remaining orbitals and valence electrons are used in framework bonding. Alternative placements of hydrogen atoms require different valence stmctures. 

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