TEMPERATURE EFFECTS OF THE MOLECULAR STRUCTURE OF DIMETHYL ETHER-BORON TRIFLUORIDE AS STUDIED BY GAS-PHASE ELECTRON DIFFRACTION

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0022-2860(81)80071-3

The molecular structure of dimethyl ether-boron trifluoride (CH3)2O.BF3 has been studied at temperatures of 16, 30 and 70 deg C by gas-phase electron diffraction.The molecule exists in a staggered conformation with an O-B distance of 1.75 +/- 0.02 Angstroem, an angle between the O-B bond and the COC plane of 40 +/- 8 deg and an FBF angle 117 +/- 2 deg at each temperature.However, the F-B and C-O distances are found to decrease with increasing temperature, and appear to converge to the corresponding values of the component molecules.The temperature dependence of the B-F and C-O distances is surprisingly large, compared with those in other molecules.