Abstract
Many pictures of the bonding of B2H6 have been presented over the past century, starting with a strong effort to force B2H6 to fit the ideas that were current for C2H6 and building to now viewing the molecular orbital model as the basis for a new transferrable concept of a 3-center-2-electron bond that stimulates creation of new chemistry. Even now, though, some would view this special bond more like a protonated double bond. The historical development of the current understanding of bonding in B2H6 is summarized here.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported in part by the University of Denver. My introduction to the bonding of the boron hydrides was in the laboratory of W. N. Lipscomb in 1961-1962 and 1967, see (Eaton and Lipscomb 1969).
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Eaton, G.R. Interpreting the bonding of B2H6 and the nature of the 3-center-2-electron bond: decisive test of theory of valency. Found Chem 25, 285–298 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10698-023-09469-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10698-023-09469-8