Complete Series of Alkali-Metal M(BH3NH2BH2NH2BH3) Hydrogen-Storage Salts Accessed via Metathesis in Organic Solvents

Inorg Chem. 2016 Jan 4;55(1):37-45. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5b01688. Epub 2015 Dec 16.

Abstract

We report a new efficient way of synthesizing high-purity hydrogen-rich M(BH3NH2BH2NH2BH3) salts (M = Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs). The solvent-mediated metathetic synthesis applied here uses precursors containing bulky organic cations and weakly coordinating anions. The applicability of this method permits the entire series of alkali-metal M(BH3NH2BH2NH2BH3) salts (M = Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs) to be obtained, thus enabling their comparative analysis in terms of crystal structures and hydrogen-storage properties. A novel polymorphic form of Verkade's base (C18H39N4PH)(BH3NH2BH2NH2BH3) precursor was also characterized structurally. For all compounds, we present a comprehensive structural, spectroscopic, and thermogravimetric characterization (PXRD, NMR, FTIR, Raman, and TGA/DSC/MS).

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't