Inner shell excitation spectroscopy of transient molecules: HBS, HBO, and H3B3O3

Inner shell electron energy spectroscopy (ISEELS) was used to study HBS, HBO, and H3B3O3, reactive, transient species generated in situ. The reaction of H2S with crystalline boron in a quartz tube was used to produce thioborine (HBS) at ∼1100 °C, and borine (HBO) at ∼1200 °C. The reaction of H2O vapor with crystalline boron in a quartz tube at ∼1200 °C was used to produce boroxine (H3B3O3). These species were identified from their inner shell excitation spectra and mass spectrometry. The B 1s, S 2s, and S 2p ISEEL spectra of HBS, and the B 1s and O 1s spectra of HBO and H3B3O3 are reported and analyzed with the help of GSCF3 ab initio calculations. A reaction scheme is proposed for the generation of HBO from the reaction of H2S and boron in a heated quartz tube.