Tris(trifluoromethyl)borane carbonyl, (CF(3))(3)BCO, is obtained in high yield by the solvolysis of K[B(CF(3))(4)] in concentrated sulfuric acid. The in situ hydrolysis of a single bonded CF(3) group is found to be a simple, unprecedented route to a new borane carbonyl. The related, thermally unstable borane carbonyl, (C(6)F(5))(3)BCO, is synthesized for comparison purposes by the isolation of (C(6)F(5))(3)B in a matrix of solid CO at 16 K and subsequent evaporation of excess CO at 40 K. The colorless liquid and vapor of (CF(3))(3)BCO decomposes slowly at room temperature. In the gas phase t(1/2) is found to be 45 min. In the presence of a large excess of (13)CO, the carbonyl substituent at boron undergoes exchange, which follows a first-order rate law. Its temperature dependence yields an activation energy (E(A)) of 112 kJ mol(-)(1). Low-pressure flash thermolysis of (CF(3))(3)BCO with subsequent isolation of the products in low-temperature matrixes, indicates a lower thermal stability of the (CF(3))(3)B fragment, than is found for (CF(3))(3)BCO. Toward nucleophiles (CF(3))(3)BCO reacts in two different ways: Depending on the nucleophilicity of the reagent and the stability of the adducts formed, nucleophilic substitution of CO or nucleophilic addition to the C atom of the carbonyl group are observed. A number of examples for both reaction types are presented in an overview. The molecular structure of (CF(3))(3)BCO in the gas phase is obtained by a combined microwave-electron diffraction analysis and in the solid state by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The molecule possesses C(3) symmetry, since the three CF(3) groups are rotated off the two possible positions required for C(3)(v)() symmetry. All bond parameters, determined in the gas phase or in the solid state, are within their standard deviations in fair agreement, except for internuclear distances most noticeably the B-CO bond lengths, which is 1.69(2) A in the solid state and 1.617(12) A in the gas phase. A corresponding shift of nu(CO) from 2267 cm(-)(1) in the solid state to 2251 cm(-)(1) in the gas phase is noted in the vibrational spectra. The structural and vibrational study is supported by DFT calculations, which provide, in addition to the equilibrium structure, confirmation of experimental vibrational wavenumbers, IR-band intensities, atomic charge distribution, the dipole moment, the B-CO bond energy, and energies for the elimination of CF(2) from (CF(3))(x)()BF(3)(-)(x)(), x = 1-3. In the vibrational analysis 21 of the expected 26 fundamentals are observed experimentally. The (11)B-, (13)C-, and (19)F-NMR data, as well as the structural parameters of (CF(3))(3)BCO, are compared with those of related compounds.

Es wird eine neue effiziente Synthese für Tetracyanoborate im molaren Maßstab ausgehend von den leicht zugänglichen Reagenzien K[BF4], LiCl und KCN beschrieben. Das nach dem Sinter‐Prozess und Aufarbeitung erhaltene Tetracyanoborat ist im Gegensatz zu den Produkten der bisher bekannten Reaktionen ein weißer Feststoff, der frei von Verunreinigungen ist. Das thermische Verhalten der gemischten Cyanofluoroborate, K[BFx(CN)4—x] (x = 1—3), wurde näher untersucht, um den Mechanismus des Ligandenaustausches bei der K[B(CN)4]‐Synthese aufzuklären. Weiterhin werden einige Metathese‐Reaktionen für die Herstellung unterschiedlicher Tetracyanoborate beschrieben.

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Boron's unique position in the Periodic Table, that is, at the apex of the line separating metals and nonmetals, makes it highly versatile in chemical reactions and applications. Contemporary demand for renewable and clean energy as well as energy‐efficient products has seen boron playing key roles in energy‐related research, such as 1) activating and synthesizing energy‐rich small molecules, 2) storing chemical and electrical energy, and 3) converting electrical energy into light. These applications are fundamentally associated with boron's unique characteristics, such as its electron‐deficiency and the availability of an unoccupied p orbital, which allow the formation of a myriad of compounds with a wide range of chemical and physical properties. For example, boron's ability to achieve a full octet of electrons with four covalent bonds and a negative charge has led to the synthesis of a wide variety of borate anions of high chemical and electrochemical stability—in particular, weakly coordinating anions. This Review summarizes recent advances in the study of boron compounds for energy‐related processes and applications.

A two step synthesis to the isocyanotris(trifluoromethyl)borate anion, [(CF3)3BNC]-, and its isomerization to the cyanotris(trifluoromethyl)borate anion, [(CF3)3BCN]-, at temperatures above 150 degrees C are presented. In the first step (CF3)3BNCH was obtained by reacting (CF3)3BCO with hydrogen cyanide followed by deprotonation of the HCN adduct with Li[N(SiMe3)2] in toluene. The thermal behavior of K[(CF3)3BNC] and K[(CF3)3BCN] were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and K[BF4] was identified as a major solid decomposition product. The enthalpy of the isocyanide-cyanide rearrangement, deltaH(iso) = -35 +/- 4 kJ mol(-1), was obtained from DSC measurements, and the activation energy, E(a) = 180 +/- 20 kJ mol(-1), from kinetic measurements. The isomerization was modeled as an intramolecular reaction employing DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d) level of theory yielding a reaction enthalpy of deltaH(iso) = -36.1 kJ mol(-1) and an activation energy of E(a) = 155.7 kJ mol(-1). The solid-state structures of K[(CF3)3BNC] and K[(CF3)3BCN] were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Both salts are isostructural and crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Pnma (no. 62). In the crystals the borate anions possess C(s) symmetry, while for the energetic minimum C3 symmetry is predicted by DFT calculations. The borate anions have been characterized by IR and Raman spectroscopy as well as by NMR spectroscopy. The assignment of the IR and Raman bands is supported by their calculated wavenumbers and intensities. The spectroscopic and structural properties of both borate anions are compared to the properties of the isoelectronic borane carbonyl (CF3)3BCO and the [B(CF3)4]- anion as well as to those of other related species.