Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Stop Rotating! One Substitution Halts The B19- Motor, Francisco Cervantes-Navarro, Gerarso Martínez-Guajardo, Edison Osorio, Diego Moreno, William Tiznado, Rafael Islas, Kelling J. Donald, Gabriel Merino

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The B₁₉^- anion and other boron species have been dubbed ‘Wankel motors’ for the almost barrierless rotation of inner and outer concentric rings relative to each other in these compounds. A single substitution in B₁₉^- is shown to shut down the well-established fluxionality in the anion. A carbon atom substituted in the structure to give a neutral CB₁₈ species is shown computationally to enforce bond localization.