R. Pawelke
Aug 16, 2011
Citations
0
Influential Citations
1
Citations
Journal
Nature Precedings
Abstract
The tetracyanoborate anion [B(CN)4] has an electrochemical stability that is comparable to that of the tetrafluoroborate [BF4] or the hexafluorophosphate [PF6] anion. But unlike the latter, it is practically inert towards hydrolysis. That makes the tetracyanoborate anion a promising electrolyte component for advanced electrochemical systems: feasibility studies on solar cells 2 and batteries 4 have been already done. The [B(CN)4] anion has been observed for the first time in 1967 by BESSLER et al. in Ag[B(CN)4]; the formation of this compound remained merely an analytical fact for the next 33 years. The scientific focus on new complex anions and ionic liquids around the turn of the millennium led to a renewed interest in the [B(CN)4] anion. The preparative synthesis of the [B(CN)4] anion was achieved by BERNHARDT et al.: K[B(CN)4] is an obvious starting materials for follow-up applications; but the chemical straightforward reaction of BCl3 and KCN is not a feasible route due to the lack of a suitable solvent for both reactants (Eq.1).