Hexaborane(12) is an

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

with the formula B₆H₁₂. It is an obscure member of the

boranes A borane is a compound with the formula although examples include multi-boron derivatives. A large family of boron hydride clusters is also known. In addition to some applications in organic chemistry, the boranes have attracted much attention ...

. It is a colorless liquid that, like some other

boron hydride cluster Boron hydride clusters are compounds with the formula or related anions, where x ≥ 3. Many such cluster compounds are known. Common examples are those with 5, 10, and 12 boron atoms. Although they have few practical applications, the borane hyd ...

s, is readily hydrolyzed and flammable. The molecular structure conforms to C₂

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 amb ...

. 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-B₈H.

Preparation

It is typically prepared by the cluster expansion method from B₅H, the conjugate base of pentaborane(9): p.172. :LiB₅H₈ + 1/2 B₂H₆ → LiB₆H₁₁ :LiB₆H₁₁ + HCl → B₆H₁₂ + LiCl

References

Boranes {{inorganic-compound-stub