Boron‐Made N2: Realization of a B≡B Triple Bond in the B2Al3− Cluster
Abstract
Until now, all B≡B triple bonds have been achieved by adopting two ligands in the L→B≡B←L manner. Herein, we report an alternative route of designing the B≡B bonds based on the assumption that by acquiring two extra electrons, an element with the atomic number Z can have properties similar to those of the element with the atomic number Z+2. Specifically, we show that due to the electron donation from Al to B, the negatively charged B≡B kernel in the B2Al3− cluster mimics a triple N≡N bond. Comprehensive computational searches reveal that the global minimum structure of B2Al3− exhibits a direct B–B distance of 1.553 Å, and its calculated electron vertical detachment energies are in excellent agreement with the corresponding values of the experimental photoelectron spectrum. Chemical bonding analysis revealed one σ and two π bonds between the two B atoms, thus confirming a classical textbook B≡B triple bond, similar to that of N2.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- May 29, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1002/chem.202001159
Entities
People
- Alexander I. Boldyrev
- Chaonan Mu
- Haopeng Wang
- Ivan A. Popov
- Jie Wang
- Kit H Bowen
- Nikita Fedik
- Wei Wang
- Xinxing Zhang
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Johns Hopkins University
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka
- Utah State University