Hexaborane(12) 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 B
6H
12. It is an obscure member of the
boranes. It is a colorless liquid that, like most boron hydrides, is readily hydrolyzed and flammable.
The molecular structure conforms to C
2 symmetry group
In group theory, the symmetry group of a geometric object is the group of all transformations under which the object is invariant, endowed with the group operation of composition. Such a transformation is an invertible mapping of the ambient ...
. With the formula B
nH
n+6, it is classified as an ''arachno-''cluster. As such the boron positions match six of the boron positions in the closo-B
8H.
Preparation
It is typically prepared by the cluster expansion method from B
5H, the conjugate base of
pentaborane(9):
[ p.172.]
:LiB
5H
8 + 1/2 B
2H
6 → LiB
6H
11
:LiB
6H
11 + HCl → B
6H
12 + LiCl
References
Boranes
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