Analogies between boron and carbon.

The structural connections between the compounds of boron and carbon are extended using the mno rule beyond the borane-carbocation continuum, the lithium boride-polycarbyne analogy, and the magnesium boride (MgB(2))-graphite equivalence to beta-rhombohedral boron and fullerenes. The structural similarity of the pentagonal pyramidal C(6)H(6)(2+) and MgB(4) is established. An interesting electronic structural relationship between the B(84) fragment of the beta-rhombohedral boron and the fulleride anion, C(60)(12-), is derived by replacing the 12 pentagonal pyramidal B(6)(4-) units by isoelectronic C(5)(-) units and removing the central B(12) from the electron-deficient B(84) unit. This relationship is well supported by the experimental realization of C(60)M(12) (M = Li, K) and C(48)N(12).