How is trimethylboron structured?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

periodic table with group numbers and the s, p, d, and f blocks — organometallic compound The periodic table of the elements, displaying the group numbers and the s, p, d, and f blocks. Elements in the shaded area are the metals of organometallic chemistry.

Trimethylboron, with the chemical formula ${B(CH}_{3})_{3}$ , is an organometallic compound that features three boron-carbon bonds.1

In terms of its molecular structure, trimethylboron is a three-coordinated derivative of boron. Like other three-coordinated boron compounds, it possesses a trigonal planar structure. Because boron in this configuration has only six electrons in its outer shell, it acts as a Lewis acid and can readily form donor-acceptor complexes (adducts) with molecules containing lone pairs of electrons. In such adducts, the boron atom becomes four-coordinated, with the four groups arranged tetrahedrally around it.23