The uses and properties of Sodium Borohydride

Name: Sodium BorohydrideCAS NO. 16940-66-2 
EINECS NO. 241-004-4
FORMULA NaBH4
MOL WT. 37.83
SYNONYMS Sodium tetrahydroborate; SBH;
PHYSICAL STATE white crystalline powder particle
MELTING POINT 400 C 
FLASH POINT 250 C
STABILITY Not available. Hygroscopic (dangerous when wet)

Sodium Borohydride is an odorless white to gray-white microcrystalline powder which often forms lumps. It is soluble in water, without decomposition, however it reacts vigorously with acid solutions. Sodium borohydride also known as sodium tetrahydridoborate, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaBH4. This white solid, usually encountered as a powder, is a versatile reducing agent that finds wide application in chemistry, both in the laboratory and on a technical scale. Large amounts are used for bleaching wood pulp. The compound is insoluble in ether, and soluble in glyme solvents, methanol and water, but reacts with the latter two in the absence of base.

Sodium Borohydride is a milder reducing agent, can be used in aqueous solution. It converts selectively aldehydes and ketones the corresponding alcohols in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and other fine chemicals. It will not react with esters, amides, or carboxylic acids, the more powerful reducing agent lithium aluminum hydride(LAH) is used to reduce these compounds. LAH is the more powerful reducing agent than sodium borohydride due to the weaker Al-H bond compared to the B-H bond. The reactivity of sodium borohydride can be modified by addition of iodine or methanol in BH3-THF to reduce esters into the corresponding alcohols like the reaction of benzyl benzoate to benzyl alcohol. Sodium borohydride is used as a hydrogen source for fuel cell systems and a foaming agent for rubbers. Sodium cyanoborohydride converts certain alcohol groups to methylene groups. Sodium Cyanoborohydride is used as a selective amination reductant. It converts aldehydes (chemoselective), ketones (stereoselective) to the corresponding alcohols in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and other fine chemicals. It is used in the reductive alkylation of amines, novel metals and oximes.

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