2012/06/14 by Holger Braunschweig, Rian D. Dewhurst, Kai Hammond +3 · 3 citations
Chemistry · #Organoboron and organosilicon chemistry #Synthesis and characterization of novel inorganic/organometallic compounds #Organometallic Complex Synthesis and Catalysis
paper · doi:10.1126/science.1221138
openalex publication_date 2012/06/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Homoatomic triple bonds between main-group elements have been restricted to alkynes, dinitrogen, and a handful of reactive compounds featuring trans-bent heavier elements of groups 13 and 14. Previous attempts to prepare a compound with a boron-boron triple bond that is stable at ambient temperature have been unsuccessful, despite numerous computational studies predicting their viability. We found that reduction of a bis(N-heterocyclic carbene)-stabilized tetrabromodiborane with either two or four equivalents of sodium naphthalenide, a one-electron reducing agent, yields isolable diborene and diboryne compounds. Crystallographic and spectroscopic characterization confirm that the latter is a halide-free linear system containing a boron-boron triple bond.