How Is Thorium Tetrakisaminodiborane Structured?

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SUMMARY

Thorium tetrakisaminodiborane is a complex compound that includes thorium, boron, nitrogen, and hydrogen. The molecular structure involves the substitution of nitrogen in diborane (B2H6) with amino groups, resulting in the formula (B2H5NH2)4. This indicates that the compound contains multiple aminodiborane units rather than simply bonding thorium to 15 hydrogen atoms. The claim of thorium being bonded to 15 hydrogens is a misconception stemming from misinterpretation of the compound's structure.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of chemical nomenclature, particularly for coordination compounds.
  • Familiarity with boron hydrides, specifically diborane (B2H6).
  • Knowledge of amine chemistry, particularly the structure of amino groups (NH2).
  • Basic grasp of thorium chemistry and its bonding characteristics.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the molecular structure of thorium tetrakisaminodiborane in detail.
  • Study the properties and reactions of boron hydrides, focusing on diborane.
  • Explore the role of amino groups in coordination chemistry.
  • Investigate thorium's bonding behavior in various chemical compounds.
USEFUL FOR

Chemists, materials scientists, and students studying coordination compounds and organometallic chemistry will benefit from this discussion.

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Wiki says that the thorium atom is bonded to 15 hydrogens? How does this even work? Any diagrams on the molecular structure?
 
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guysensei1 said:
Wiki says that the thorium atom is bonded to 15 hydrogens? How does this even work? Any diagrams on the molecular structure?

Parsing the name of the compound, Thorium tetrakisaminodiborane, there are more atoms in it than just thorium and hydrogen. 'Borane' let's you know to look for some boron, and 'amino' tells us that some nitrogen is in there too. 'Borane' is BH3, and 'diborane' is two of these, B2H6. 'Aminodiborane' is formed by substituting NH2 for one of the hydrogen atoms in the diborane, thus B2H5NH2. 'tetrakisaminodiborane' implies there are four aminodiboranes, so (B2H5NH2)4, which is a lot of other stuff besides just hydrogen.

Looking at a search of this compound name, I think it is some factoid about thorium being bonded to 15 hydrogens which got released onto the internet some months back and is still popping up now and then.

I can't find the full structure easily, but it's more complicated than just ThH15, which is ridiculous.
 

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