Exotic bond takes computational chemists by surprise
New results could help to solve the dispute around the strange Na–B bond in NaBH3–
The unusual nature of the sodium–boron bond in the recently synthesised NaBH3– cluster has been described using valence bond (VB) theory.1 An international research team has convincingly demonstrated that this bond is neither dative nor typical covalent, as had previously been proposed, but rather shows a combination of properties that haven’t been seen before. The new results, which unify previous descriptions of this system, could help to solve an ongoing debate around this unprecedented bonding situation.