Neither too Classic nor too Exotic: One-Electron Na⋅B Bond in NaBH3 - Cluster

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2021 Jun 1;60(23):12747-12753. doi: 10.1002/anie.202101403. Epub 2021 May 1.

Abstract

It is here reported that the NaBH3 - cluster exhibits a Na⋅B one-electron bond, a well-established type of electron-deficient bonding in the literature. The topological analysis of the electron localization function, at the correlated level, reveals that Na- , when approaching the bonding distance, fairly distributes its valence electron pair between two lobes. One of these electrons is used to bond with BH3 , which participates through its boron empty p-orbital. Furthermore, the bonding situation of LiBH3 - , KBH3 - , MgBH3 , and CaBH3 global minima structures are similar to that of NaBH3 - , extending the family of these new one-electron bond systems with biradicaloid character.

Keywords: ab-initio computations; chemical bonding analysis; cluster; correlated electron localization function; one-electron bond.