Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane
open-in-new
<p>Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, sometimes referred to as "BCF", is the <a href="/facts/Chemical_compound/37FXqqtv">chemical compound</a> (C6F5)3B. It is a white, volatile solid. The molecule consists of three pentafluorophenyl groups attached in a "paddle-wheel" manner to a central <a href="/facts/Boron/Pmwgd7Mf">boron</a> atom; the BC3 core is <a href="/facts/Plane_(geometry)/tAUtRFcn">planar</a>. It has been described as the “ideal <a href="/facts/Lewis_acid/qlLqRvg2">Lewis acid</a>” because of its high thermal stability and the relative inertness of the B-C bonds. Related fluoro-substituted boron compounds, such as those containing B−CF3 groups, decompose with formation of B-F bonds. Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane is thermally stable at temperatures well over 200 °C, resistant to oxygen, and water-tolerant. </p>