Leben
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Lithium Boride (LiB) - Anyone have an idea how this behaves?
I came upon the chance to get some Lithium Boride. Also had Lithium Nitride (Li3N) which has interesting potential as a very strong base that is quite
easy to handle.
I was not able to find much of any information about Lithium Boride. I suppose if it were exposed to hydrogen gas LiBH4 would form.... but this
compound LiB should also behave as a base. I can't seem to figure out how hydrogens would get abstracted and where they would go. Borane gas is BH3.
My guess is that 4 hydrogen could become abstracted from 4 compounds, forming a Lithium Enolate, and a Boron Enolate with 3 Ligands, giving off 2 H2.
I can't quite imagine the movement of the hydrogen, but I did do some reading on Boron Enolates, so they do seem to exist, I just can't find much
information.
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IrC
International Hazard
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"Lithium Nitride ... is quite easy to handle"
Don't get it wet. Li3N + 3 H2O → 3 LiOH + NH3.
"Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts" Richard Feynman
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Leben
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Lithium Nitride reacts with water but from what I have read it is far more easy to handle than various Amides or other Superbases, despite forming
them (amide) in its reactions. Doesn't need to be stored under an inert atmosphere and can be handled as such. If I remember correctly.... Lithium
Nitride is formed by reaction of Lithium with nitrogen in the air. There was an ACS lecture about this.
I'm more interested in Lithium Boride since I can't seem to find anything that would behave like it. It has to function as a base, I just can't
imagine the manner in which it does.
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