This concise introduction to boranes and metalloboranes employs an informal and straightforward style. The author establishes facts first, and rationalization and theories follow. Ideas of cluster bonding are presented, and the author surveys different approaches to the bonding in clusters, emphasizing the use of frontier molecule orbitals and the construction of clusters from fragments. The application of spectroscopic techniques to the elucidation of cluster structure is discussed, with an emphasis on multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. The second edition includes an update on structural data for boranes and their anions. Sections on spectroscopy and the reactivity of metalloboranes have been slightly expanded and references have been updated.

Molecular clusters, in the broad sense that the term is commonly understood, today comprise an enormous class of species extending into virtually every important area of chemistry: "naked" metal clusters, transition metal carbonyl clusters, hydrocarbon cages such as cubane (C H ) and dodecahedrane (C H ), 8 8 20 20 organometallic cluster complexes, enzymes containing Fe S or MoFe S 4 4 3 4 cores, high polymers based on carborane units, and, of course, the many kinds of polyhedral borane species. So large is the area spanned by these diverse classes that any attempt to deal with them comprehensively in one volume would, to say the least, be ambitious-and also premature. We are presently at a stage where intriguing relationships between the various cluster families are becoming apparent (particularly in terms of bonding descriptions), and despite large dif ferences in their chemistry an underlying unity is gradually developing in the field. For example, structural changes occurring in Fe S cores as electrons are 4 4 pumped in and out, in some measure resemble those observed in boranes and carboranes. The cleavage of alkynes via incorporation into carborane cages and subsequent cage rearrangement, a sequence familiar to boron chemists, is a thermodynamically favored process which may be related to the behavior of unsaturated hydrocarbons on metal surfaces; analogies of this sort have drawn attention from theorists and experimentalists.

Clusters can be viewed as solids at the nano-scale, yet molecular cluster chemistry and solid state chemistry have traditionally been considered as separate topics. This treatment has made it conceptually difficult to appreciate commonalities of structure and bonding between the two. Using analogous models, this is the first book to form a connecting bridge. Although the focus is on clusters, sufficient attention is paid to solid-state compounds at each stage of the development to establish the interrelationship between the two topics. Comprehensive coverage of cluster types by composition, size and ligation, is provided, as is a synopsis of selected research. Written in an accessible style and highly illustrated to aid understanding, this book is suitable for researchers in inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, materials science, and condensed matter physics.

Carboranes, Third Edition, by Russell Grimes, is the definitive resource on the subject. Completely updated with a wealth of research and review articles published in this active field since the previous volume was released in 2011, the book provides a readable and concise introduction to the basic principles underlying the synthesis, structures, and reactions of carboranes, heterocarboranes, and metallacarboranes. Following the valuable foundational information, the book explores the advances in practical applications for the many areas in which experts have discovered that carboranes afford new possibilities for solving problems and advancing the science. These disciplines include polymer science, catalysis, biomedicine, nanomaterials, and others. - Winner of a 2017 Textbook Excellence Award (Texty) from the Textbook and Academic Authors Association - Includes over 2,000 molecular structure drawings throughout the text - Features expanded coverage on applications of carboranes, particularly in biomedicine and nanomaterials, given the growth of research in these areas - Presents extended and updated tables, listing thousands of compounds with key literature references, provided online via the book's website - Explores the advances in practical applications for the many areas in which experts have discovered that carboranes afford new possibilities for solving problems and advancing the science

The continued and evolving significance of boron chemistry to the wider chemical community is demonstrated by the international and interdisciplinary nature of the research reported in this book. Contemporary Boron Chemistry encompasses inorganic and organic compounds as well as polymers, solid-state materials, medicinal aspects and theoretical studies. Covering many areas of chemistry with boron at its centre, topics include applications to polyolefin catalysis, medicine, materials and polymers; boron cluster chemistry, including carboranes and metal-containing clusters; organic and inorganic chemistry of species containing only 1 or 2 boron atoms; and theoretical studies of boron-containing compounds. New materials with novel optical and electronic properties are also discussed. Comprehensive and up to date, graduates and researchers in a wide range of fields, particularly those in organometallic and organic chemistry and materials science, will welcome this book.