Deuterated sodium octahydrotriborate(1-)

Preparation and /sup 11/B NMR spectra of perdeuterated and partially deuterated NaB/sub 3/H/sub 8/ are reported. Treatment of THF.B/sub 3/H/sub 7/ with sodium hydride in diglyme gives NaB/sub 3/H/sub 8/ in a quantitative yield. The preparation of deuterated NaB/sub 3/H/sub 8/ was performed by using diglyme as the solvent. Treatments of THF.B/sub 3/H/sub 7/ and THF.B/sub 3/D/sub 7/ with NaD or NaH gave differently deuterated NaB/sub 3/H/sub 8/ samples. Spectra data for the NaB/sub 3/D/sub 8/ are included. The spectra of the NaB/sub 3/D/sub 7/H and NaB/sub 3/H/sub 7/D samples indicate informatively the nature of these products. The simple replacement of THF in THF.B/sub 3/D/sub 7/ by H/sup -/ would yield the B/sub 3/D/sub 7/H/sup -/ species. The /sup 2/H-spin-decoupled signal of such a species is expected to be a simple doublet signal since the hydrogen atom would be coupled equally to the three boron atoms due to its rapid tautomeric motion within the ion. An octet signal is expected from the NaB/sub 3/H/sub 7/D, but this was not the case; apparently an intermolecular H-D exchange reaction had occurred. This exchange reaction proceeds rapidly during the process of the anion formation. The tetrahydrofuran adduct of triborane in the reaction mixture served as the exchange medium. 3 figures. (DP)