| Summary: | Methylzinc tetrahydroborate, MeZnBH4, has been prepared by two routes and initially characterized by elemental analysis and its spectroscopic properties. The structure has been determined by X-ray crystallography at 150 K [trigonal, space group R3c, a = b = 15.831(10), c = 8.36(2) Å, Z = 18, R = 0.072] to reveal helical polymers in which MeZn+ and BH4- units alternate, with the latter functioning as a bidentate ligand with respect to both of the adjacent metal atoms. It thus resembles the structure of solid Be(BH4)2 with the difference that the zinc is five-co-ordinated, the Me and H ligands adopting a distorted square-pyramidal geometry. Chemical properties of methylzinc tetrahydroborate investigated include its thermal decomposition and its reactions with ammonia, dimethyl sulfide, triphenylphosphine and CO; disproportionation into Me2Zn and Zn(BH4)2 appears to be a common feature of its chemistry.
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