User:Benjah-bmm27/degree/2/IM

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Main group 2, IM[edit]

"Chemistry of the Main Group Elements, Part 2: Rings, Chains and Macromolecules, Based on Main Group Elements"

If you like this sort of thing, you'll like this article.

Boron–nitrogen chemistry[edit]

Greenwood & Earnshaw, p. 207: instructive to compare B-N compounds with their C-C counterparts, since they are isoelectronic and have similar sizes and electronegativities (ish)

Boron nitride[edit]

  • Boron nitride, c.f. elemental carbon
Two main polymorphs of boron nitride, hexagonal BN (graphite-like) and cubic BN (diamond-like) - explore with Jmol

Amine-borane adducts[edit]

nice, stable compounds e.g. H3N→BH3 ammonia borane


The bonding in B-N compounds can be confusing. Amine-borane adducts can be represented as R3N+-BR3. In this formalism, the charges are meant to be relative to the charges in the separate neutral fragments R3N and BR3, but this is still misleading.
N in R3N has a large δ−, which is reduced to a small δ− upon formation of R3N→BR3. The negative charge on N decreases, but is still negative.
Similarly, B in BR3 has a large δ+, which decreases to a small δ+ upon formation of R3N→BR3. The positive charge on B decreases, but is still positive.
Calculated partial charges (Spartan, MP2, 6–311+G**)
H3N–BH3 NH3 BH3
NH +0.279 +0.335
N −0.412 −0.998
B −0.058 +0.338
BH −0.122 −0.113

Aminoboranes[edit]

  • Without bulky substituents (i.e. without kinetic stabilisation), aminoboranes tend to cyclise and readily hydrolyse
  • Aminoboranes usually cyclise to 4-membered B2N2 rings due to steric hindrance, but some 6-membered B3N3 ring compounds are known. For example, aminoborane itself, H2NBH2, is in reversible equilibrium between monomer and dimer in the gas phase, and can cyclotrimerise to cyclotriborazane in the solid state.

Polyaminoboranes[edit]

Iminoboranes[edit]

  • tBu-B≡N-tBu (i.e. tBu2BN) cyclodimerises to the cyclobutadiene analogue tBu4B2N2:
  • tBu-B≡N-tBu reacts with [Cp2NbH3] at 25 °C to form the complex [Cp2NbH(tBuB≡NtBu)], in which the iminoborane bonds to niobium side-on:
  • Iminoboranes can undergo addition across their BN groups — e.g. RB≡NR′ + HCl → RClB=NHR′
  • RB≡NR′ (R, R′ = long alkyl chains) polymerise at 25 °C to colourless waxy materials - they may be polymers, but are poorly characterised

Borazines[edit]

  • parent compound is borazine, B3N3H6 or equivalently cyclo-(BH)3(NH)3 or cyclo-(HBNH)3 — formally a trimer of iminoborane, HBNH
  • has six π electrons like benzene
  • but significant ΔEN means electron density more localised on nitrogen
  • only weak delocalisation/aromaticity
  • tends to undergo addition (e.g. of HCl or H2O across BN bonds) rather than the electrophilic aromatic substitution characteristic of benzene (although benzene is only kinetically and not thermodynamically stable with respect to HCl or water addition - Housecroft 3rd edn. p. 355)

Boron–phosphorus chemistry[edit]

Boron–oxygen chemistry[edit]

Silicon–oxygen chemistry[edit]

Catenated silicon chemistry[edit]

Disilenes[edit]

  • Disilenes: R2Si=SiR2, silicon analogues of alkenes, thermally stable yellow or orange crystalline solids if R groups are bulky
Adv. Organomet. Chem. (2006) 54, 73-148 (review, including π-σ* mixing MO diagram accounting for pyramidalization of Si)
  • R2SiCl2 + Li → (R2Si)3 (cyclotrisilane) → (UV radiation, −60 °C) (R2Si)2 (disilene)

Disilynes[edit]

Update: the first carbon substituted disilyne: 2008

Phosphorus–nitrogen chemistry[edit]

  • Phosphazenes: compounds with PN multiple bonds (at least formally)

Cyclic phosphazenes[edit]

  • (NPCl2)n: Jmol (n = 3, 4, 5)
  • G&E p. 536: Produced industrially by R. Schenk and G. Römer's 1924 method:
nNH4Cl + nPCl5 → (NPCl2)n + 4nHCl
(PhCl solvent, 120–150 °C)
  • Hexachlorophosphazene, (NPCl2)3, formally a trimer of the hypothetical molecule phosphonitrile dichloride (1832-07-1), N≡PCl2

Polyphosphazenes[edit]

PCl5 + [NH4]Cl → (120-150 °C, PhCl solvent) → (NPCl2)n (n = 3, 4) → (250 °C) → (NPCl2)n (n = lots) → (Nu) → (NPNu2)n (n > 105)

Phosphorus–oxygen chemistry[edit]

Sulfur–oxygen chemistry[edit]

Sulfur–nitrogen chemistry[edit]

4 [NH4]Cl + 6 S2Cl2 → S4N4 + 16 HCl + S8
S4N4, heat over Ag wool → 2 S2N2
S2N2, 25 °C, slow → (SN)x
  • S4N4 forms adducts with Lewis acids, e.g. S4N4 + BF3 → S4N4·BF3