Trimethyl borate is the organoboron compound with the formula B(OCH3)3 and a metal alkoxide. It is a colourless liquid that burns with a green flame.[1] It is an intermediate in the preparation of sodium borohydride and is a popular reagent in organic chemistry. It is a weak Lewis acid (AN = 23, Gutmann-Beckett method).[2]
Borate esters are prepared by heating boric acid or related boron oxides with alcohols under conditions where water is removed by azeotropic distillation. [1]
Trimethyl borate is the main precursor to sodium borohydride by its reaction with sodium hydride in the Brown-Schlesinger process:
It is a gaseous anti-oxidant in brazing and solder flux. Otherwise, trimethyl borate has no announced commercial applications. It has been explored as a fire retardant, as well as being examined as an additive to some polymers.[1]
It is a useful reagent in organic synthesis, as a precursor to boronic acids, which are used in Suzuki couplings. These boronic acids are prepared via reaction of the trimethyl borate with Grignard reagents followed by hydrolysis:.[3][4]
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link); Collected Volumes, vol. 10, p. 80.{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link); Collected Volumes, vol. 10, p. 80.