BORANE CLUSTER PHOTOCHEMISTRY .2. PHOTOCHEMICAL ALCOHOLYSIS OF THE OCTAHYDROTRIBORATE(1-) ANION

The rapid photoinduced alcoholysis of the octahydrotriborate(1-) anion was observed from the UV irradiation of solutions of (Bu4N)B3H8 and either ethanol or methanol in THF or chloroform. The octahydrotriborate(1-) anion, which is stable to alcoholysis in the ground state, reacts cleanly and rapidly with the alcohols to give HB(OC2H5)2 and B(OC2H5)3 products. Photolysis of (BU4N)B3H8 and C2H5OD gave both DB(OC2H5)2 and HB(OC2H5)2, as well as B(OC2H5)3. A mechanism is proposed to accommodate these observations.