Structure of Boron Hydrides

Abstract

As recently shown¹, the interpretation of polyatomic structures does not require the hypothesis of resonance among several idealized valence-bond structures, a speculative application of the quantum-mechanical conception of resonance, which is in disagreement with numerous facts. They are accounted for by the principles of the classical (atomic and electronic) structural theories. The boron hydrides have been represented as resonance hybrids involving structures with one-electron linkages. Longuet-Higgins and Bell², in a most interesting and important discussion, have given convincing evidence that the introduction of the unique and theoretically unlikely one electron linkage between two unequal atoms is unnecessary, and that the boron hydrides should be represented by the bridge formulæ of type containing hydrogen bonds³.