Trimethyl borate
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| Names | |
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| IUPAC name
 Trimethyl borate 
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| Other names
 Trimethoxyborane 
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| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) 
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| ChEBI | |
| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.004.063 | 
| EC Number | 
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PubChem CID 
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CompTox Dashboard (EPA) 
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| Properties | |
| C3H9BO3 | |
| Molar mass | 103.91 g·mol−1 | 
| Appearance | colourless liquid | 
| Density | 0.932 g/ml | 
| Melting point | −34 °C (−29 °F; 239 K) | 
| Boiling point | 68 to 69 °C (154 to 156 °F; 341 to 342 K) | 
| decomposition | |
| Hazards | |
| Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH): | |
Main hazards 
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flammable | 
| Related compounds | |
Other cations 
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Trimethyl phosphite Tetramethyl orthosilicate  | 
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). 
Infobox references 
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Trimethyl borate is the organoboron compound with the formula B(OCH3)3. 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]
Applications
Trimethyl borate is the main precursor to sodium borohydride by its reaction with sodium hydride in the Brown-Schlesinger process:
- 4 NaH + B(OCH3)3 → NaBH4 + 3 NaOCH3
 
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]
Organic synthesis
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]
- ArMgBr + B(OCH3)3 → MgBrOCH3 + ArB(OCH3)2
 - ArB(OCH3)2 + 2 H2O → ArB(OH)2 + 2 HOCH3
 
References
- ^ a b c Robert J. Brotherton; C. Joseph Weber; Clarence R. Guibert; John L. Little (2000). "Boron Compounds". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. ISBN 978-3-527-30673-2.
 - ^ Beckett, M. A.; Strickland, G. C.; Holland, J. R.; Varma, K. S. (September 1996). "A convenient n.m.r. method for the measurement of Lewis acidity at boron centres: correlation of reaction rates of Lewis acid initiated epoxide polymerizations with Lewis acidity". Polymer. 37 (20): 4629–4631. doi:10.1016/0032-3861(96)00323-0.
 - ^ Ishihara, Kazuaki; Ohara, Suguru; Yamamoto, Hisashi (2002). "3,4,5-Trifluorophenylboronic Acid". Organic Syntheses. 79: 176; Collected Volumes, vol. 10, p. 80.
 - ^ Kidwell, R. L.; Murphy, M.; Darling, S. D. (1969). "Phenols: 6-Methoxy-2-naphthol". Organic Syntheses. 49: 90; Collected Volumes, vol. 10, p. 80.
 

