One-Pot Synthesis of Nitrogen–Boron Compounds from Boric Acid
Faculty Mentor
Eric Abbey
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
4-14-2026 11:30 AM
End Date
4-14-2026 1:30 PM
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Abstract
Nitrogen–boron compounds are important targets in inorganic chemistry research. This work aims to develop simplified synthetic routes to key nitrogen–boron compounds beginning from readily available starting materials. Our initial focus has been the development of a more efficient synthesis of sodium borohydride (NaBH4), as current methods require high temperatures and involve multiple synthetic steps. We investigated an alternative route using boric acid (B(OH)3) and sodium aluminum hydride (NaAlH4) in dimethoxyethane (DME) to generate sodium borohydride. Preliminary experiments have demonstrated proof of principle for this transformation, and ongoing work is focused on improving the purification process and optimizing reaction conditions to increase yield and product purity. Using sodium borohydride as a key intermediate, ammonia borane was synthesized through reaction with ammonium carbonate in tetrahydrofuran (THF). Reaction parameters such as time and reagent concentration were adjusted to improve the yield and purity of the ammonia borane product. Ammonia borane was then used as a precursor in the synthesis of borazine. Proof of principle has been demonstrated for each step in this synthetic sequence. Current efforts are focused on optimizing reaction conditions and purification methods as we pursue the ultimate goal of developing efficient one-pot reactions for the synthesis of these nitrogen–boron compounds directly from boric acid.
Recommended Citation
Makinster, Summer and Salois, Abbie, "One-Pot Synthesis of Nitrogen–Boron Compounds from Boric Acid" (2026). 2026 Symposium. 16.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2026/ps_2026/p2_2026/16
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
One-Pot Synthesis of Nitrogen–Boron Compounds from Boric Acid
PUB NCR
Nitrogen–boron compounds are important targets in inorganic chemistry research. This work aims to develop simplified synthetic routes to key nitrogen–boron compounds beginning from readily available starting materials. Our initial focus has been the development of a more efficient synthesis of sodium borohydride (NaBH4), as current methods require high temperatures and involve multiple synthetic steps. We investigated an alternative route using boric acid (B(OH)3) and sodium aluminum hydride (NaAlH4) in dimethoxyethane (DME) to generate sodium borohydride. Preliminary experiments have demonstrated proof of principle for this transformation, and ongoing work is focused on improving the purification process and optimizing reaction conditions to increase yield and product purity. Using sodium borohydride as a key intermediate, ammonia borane was synthesized through reaction with ammonium carbonate in tetrahydrofuran (THF). Reaction parameters such as time and reagent concentration were adjusted to improve the yield and purity of the ammonia borane product. Ammonia borane was then used as a precursor in the synthesis of borazine. Proof of principle has been demonstrated for each step in this synthetic sequence. Current efforts are focused on optimizing reaction conditions and purification methods as we pursue the ultimate goal of developing efficient one-pot reactions for the synthesis of these nitrogen–boron compounds directly from boric acid.
