Borohydride - Coordination Complexes

Coordination Complexes

Borohydrides can serve as ligands for many metals, and there is a large coordination chemistry of the borohydride ion. In most such compounds, the BH₄- ligand is bidentate. Some binary borohydrides (i.e., containing only BH₄- ligands) are highly volatile. One example is uranium borohydride.

Metal borohydride complexes can often be prepared by a simple salt elimination reaction:

TiCl₄ + LiBH₄ → Ti(BH₄)₃(Et₂O) in diethyl ether