Boron (B), Carbon (C), Nitrogen (N), and Oxygen (O) can form chemical triple bonds with each other due to their similar electronic properties. All combinations have been realized except for those between boron and carbon.
This is interesting as there have long been stable double bonds between boron and carbon. Many molecules also have triple bonds between two carbon atoms or between two boron atoms.
But now, this gap is closed, thanks to the Chemists at Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany, who successfully synthesized—for the first time—a molecule with a boron-carbon triple bond, a so-called borne, which exists as an orange solid at room temperature.
The team synthesized and isolated boryne in its neutral and uncoordinated form, closing the remaining gap in the family of neutral first-row p-block compounds with triple bonds. After analyzing it, the team conducted initial tests to see how it reacts with other substances.
Triple perovskites, high-performance electrocatalysts for oxygen electrode reactions
The boron atoms in the novel molecule are in a linear arrangement with carbon atoms.
Dr. Rian Dewhurst, co-author of the study, said, “In combination with the triple bond, this is about as uncomfortable as it gets for boron, requiring very special conditions. This is why it has taken so long to synthesize such a triple bond for the first time.”
Maximilian Michel, the doctoral student who made the molecule in the laboratory, said, “Compounds in which individual atoms feel ‘uncomfortable’ often show a very interesting reactivity.”
Rian Dewhurst highlights an often-overlooked benefit of basic research: it inspires other scientists to create seemingly improbable compounds.
Such bold ideas often lead to world-changing discoveries.
Journal Reference
- Michel, M., Kar, S., Endres, L., Dewhurst, R. D., Engels, B., & Braunschweig, H. (2025). The synthesis of a neutral boryne. Nature Synthesis, 1-8. DOI: 10.1038/s44160-025-00763-1
