Tetrakis(dimethoxyboryl)methane

Abstract

The title compound, tetrakis(dimethoxyboryl)methane (systematic name: octamethyl methanetetrayltetraboronate), C9H24B4O8or C[B(OMe)2]4, is a useful synthetic intermediate. Crystals of this compound at 102 K conform to the orthorhombic space groupPbcn. The molecules, which reside on sites of crystallographic twofold symmetry, have idealized -4 point symmetry like most other CX4molecules in which eachXgroup bears two non-H substituents at the 1-position. The central C atom has a slightly distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry, with C—B bond lengths of 1.5876 (16) and 1.5905 (16) Å. One of the methoxy groups is disordered over two sets of sites; the major component has an occupancy factor of 0.676 (8).