Hexaborane, also called hexaborane(10) to distinguish it from hexaborane(12) (B₆H₁₂), is an

inorganic compound In chemistry, an inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds, that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as '' inorganic chemist ...

with the formula B₆H₁₀. It is a colorless liquid that is unstable in air.

Structure

Hexaborane(10) is classified as a ''nido''-cluster. The boron atoms define a

pentagonal pyramid In geometry, a pentagonal pyramid is a pyramid with a pentagonal base upon which are erected five triangular faces that meet at a point (the apex). Like any pyramid, it is self- dual. The ''regular'' pentagonal pyramid has a base that is a regu ...

, with four bridging hydrogen atoms and six terminal ones. The

point group In geometry, a point group is a mathematical group of symmetry operations (isometries in a Euclidean space) that have a fixed point in common. The coordinate origin of the Euclidean space is conventionally taken to be a fixed point, and every p ...

of the molecule is ''C''_s.

Preparation and reactions

A laboratory route begins with bromination of

pentaborane(11) Pentaborane(11) is inorganic compound with the chemical formula B5H11. It is an obscure boron hydride cluster, especially relative to the heavily studied pentaborane(9) (B5H9). With two more hydrogen atoms than ''nido''-pentaborane(9), pentabor ...

followed by deprotonation of the bromide to give rB₅H₇sup>−. This anionic cluster is reduced with diborane to give the neutral product: :K rB₅H₇ + 1/2 B₂H₆ → KBr + B₆H₁₀ It can also be generated by pyrolysis of pentaborane(11). B₆H₁₀ can be deprotonated to give ₆H₉sup>− or protonated to give ₆H₁₁sup>+. It can act as a

Lewis base A Lewis acid (named for the American physical chemist Gilbert N. Lewis) is a chemical species that contains an empty orbital which is capable of accepting an electron pair from a Lewis base to form a Lewis adduct. A Lewis base, then, is any sp ...

towards reactive borane radicals, forming various ''conjuncto''-clusters.

References

{{Hydrides by group Boranes