Boron trifluoride etherate, strictly boron trifluoride diethyl etherate, or boron trifluoride–ether complex, is the chemical compound with the formula BF3O(C2H5)2, often abbreviated BF3OEt2. It is a colorless liquid, although older samples can appear brown. The compound is used as a source of boron trifluoride in many chemical reactions that require a Lewis acid. The compound features tetrahedral boron coordinated to a diethylether ligand. Many analogues are known, including the methanol complex.
Reactions
Boron trifluoride etherate serves as a source of boron trifluoride according to the equilibrium:
BF3OEt2 ↽ − ⇀ {\displaystyle {\ce {<=>>}}} BF3 + OEt2The BF3 binds to even weak Lewis bases, inducing reactions of the resulting adducts with nucleophiles.3
References
Veronica Cornel; Carl J. Lovely (2007). "Boron Trifluoride Etherate". Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis. John Wiley & Sons. pp. rb249.pub2. doi:10.1002/047084289X.rb249.pub2. ISBN 978-0-471-93623-7. 978-0-471-93623-7 ↩
V. V. Saraev; P. B. Kraikivskii; I. Svoboda; A. S. Kuzakov; R. F. Jordan (2008). "Synthesis, Molecular Structure, and EPR Analysis of the Three-Coordinate Ni(I) Complex [Ni(PPh3)3][BF4]". J. Phys. Chem. A. 112 (48): 12449–12455. Bibcode:2008JPCA..11212449S. doi:10.1021/jp802462x. PMID 18991433. /wiki/Bibcode_(identifier) ↩
Veronica Cornel; Carl J. Lovely (2007). "Boron Trifluoride Etherate". Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis. John Wiley & Sons. pp. rb249.pub2. doi:10.1002/047084289X.rb249.pub2. ISBN 978-0-471-93623-7. 978-0-471-93623-7 ↩