Lithium Borohydride

• CAT Number: R045177
• CAS Number: 16949-15-8
• Molecular Formula: BLi
• Molecular Weight: 17.75
• Purity: ≥95%
• Synonyms: Lithium Tetrahydroborate (1:1); Lithium Boron Hydride; Lithium Hydroborate (LiBH4); Lithium Tetrahydroborate
• Storage: -20°C
• IUPAC Name: lithium;boron(1-)
• InChI: InChI=1S/B.Li/q-1;+1
• InChIKey: NZTNZPDOBQDOSO-UHFFFAOYSA-N
• SMILES: [Li+].[B-]

Lithium borohydride (Cat No.:R045177) is a powerful inorganic reducing agent widely used in organic synthesis. It effectively reduces esters, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, and ketones to their corresponding alcohols. Compared to sodium borohydride, LiBH₄ is more reactive due to the smaller size and higher ionic character of lithium. It is typically used in aprotic solvents like tetrahydrofuran (THF) and diglyme. In addition to synthetic chemistry, lithium borohydride is explored in hydrogen storage technologies due to its high hydrogen content. It appears as a white crystalline solid and is highly moisture-sensitive and reactive.

Reference

1.Banfi, Luca, et al. "Lithium Borohydride." Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis (2001).
2.Soai, Kenso, and Atsuhiro Ookawa. "Mixed solvents containing methanol as useful reaction media for unique chemoselective reductions within lithium borohydride." The Journal of Organic Chemistry 51.21 (1986): 4000-4005.
3.Schlesinger, H. I., and Herbert C. Brown. "Metallo borohydrides. III. Lithium borohydride." Journal of the American Chemical Society 62.12 (1940): 3429-3435.