Hydrides, metal characterization

Tetrahydroborates. The tetrahydroboranes constitute the most commercially important group of boron hydride compounds. Tetrahydroborates of most of the metals have been characterized and their preparations have been reviewed (46). The important commercial tetrahydroborates are those of the alkah metals. Some properties are given ia Table 4. 

CH2CN)4Yb[( J.-H)2BH]2, and (CgH N)4Yb[( J.-H)2BH4]2 have been stmcturally characterized by x-ray crystallography and shown to contain ytterbium to boron hydride Yb—H—B linkages. Thermal decomposition of lanthanaboranes can be used to generate lanthanide metal borides. 

The principal applications of REELS are thin-film growth studies and gas-surface reactions in the few-monolayer regime when chemical state information is required. In its high spatial resolution mode it has been used to detect submicron metal hydride phases and to characterize surface segregation and difRision as a function of grain boundary orientation. REELS is not nearly as commonly used as AES orXPS. 

Attempts to classify carbides according to structure or bond type meet the same difficulties as were encountered with hydrides (p. 64) and borides (p. 145) and for the same reasons. The general trends in properties of the three groups of compounds are, however, broadly similar, being most polar (ionic) for the electropositive metals, most covalent (molecular) for the electronegative non-metals and somewhat complex (interstitial) for the elements in the centre of the d block. There are also several elements with poorly characterized, unstable, or non-existent carbides, namely the later transition elements (Groups 11 and 12), the platinum metals, and the post transition-metal elements in Group 13. 

No binary hydrides have been characterized, but reactions of the metal powders with alkali metal hydrides in a hydrogen atmosphere lead to Li3RhH4 (planar RhH4 ) and M3MH6 (M = Li, Na M = Rh, Ir) with octahedral MHj [34],... 

A related study with a similar ruthenium catalyst led to the structural and NMR characterization of an intermediate that has the crucial Ru—C bond in place and also shares other features with the BEMAP-ruthenium diacetate mechanism.33 This mechanism, as summarized in Figure 5.4, shows the formation of a metal hydride prior to the complexation of the reactant. In contrast to the mechanism for acrylic acids shown on p. 378, the creation of the new stereocenter occurs at the stage of the addition of the second hydrogen. 

---