Methylzinc tetrahydroborate: Physical and chemical properties and crystal structure at low temperature

Journal article

Methylzinc tetrahydroborate, MeZnBH4, has been prepared by two routes and initially characterized by elemental analysis and its spectroscopic properties. The structure has been determined by X-ray crystallography at 150 K [trigonal, space group R3c, a = b = 15.831(10), c = 8.36(2) Å, Z = 18, R = 0.072] to reveal helical polymers in which MeZn+ and BH4- units alternate, with the latter functioning as a bidentate ligand with respect to both of the adjacent metal atoms. It thus resembles the structure of solid Be(BH4)2 with the difference that the zinc is five-co-ordinated, the Me and H ligands adopting a distorted square-pyramidal geometry. Chemical properties of methylzinc tetrahydroborate investigated include its thermal decomposition and its reactions with ammonia, dimethyl sulfide, triphenylphosphine and CO; disproportionation into Me2Zn and Zn(BH4)2 appears to be a common feature of its chemistry.

Authors: Aldridge, S; Blake, A; Downs, A; Parsons, S; Pulham, C

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: JOURNAL OF THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY-DALTON TRANSACTIONS
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 853-859
• Publication date: 1996-03-21
• DOI: 10.1039/dt9960000853
• EISSN: 1364-5447
• ISSN: 0300-9246
• Language: English