Production of quaternary ammonium and quaternary phosphonium borohydrides

A process for preparing quaternary ammonium borohydrides in an electrolysis cell which comprises an anolyte compartment containing an anode and a catholyte compartment containing a cathode, the anolyte and catholyte compartments being separated from each other by a cation exchange membrane, said process comprising

• (A) charging an anolyte comprising an aqueous solution containing a quaternary ammonium compound selected from the group of quaternary ammonium hydroxide, halide, formate, sulfate, phosphate, carbonate or alkyl carbonate to the anolyte compartment;
• (B) charging a catholyte comprising an aqueous solution prepared from a quaternary ammonium boron oxide to the catholyte compartment;
• (C) passing a current through the electrolysis cell to produce the quaternary ammonium borohydride in the catholyte compartment;
• and
• (D) removing at least a portion of the catholyte from the catholyte compartment.

A process for preparing a quaternary ammonium borohydride in an electrolysis cell which comprises an anolyte compartment containing an anode and a catholyte compartment containing a cathode, the anolyte and catholyte compartments being separated from each other by a cation exchange membrane, said process comprising

• (A) charging an anolyte comprising an aqueous solution containing from about 3 to about 40% by weight of a quaternary ammonium hydroxide to the anolyte compartment, said quaternary ammonium hydroxide being characterized by the formula
• [(R.sub.1 R.sub.2 R.sub.3 R.sub.4)N].sup.+ OH.sup.- (IC)
• (B) charging an aqueous solution prepared with from about 1 to about 40% by weight of a quaternary ammonium boron oxide to the catholyte compartment, said quaternary ammonium boron oxide being characterized by the formula
• [(R.sub.1 R.sub.2 R.sub.3 R.sub.4)N].sub.x B.sub.y O.sub.z .multidot.mH.sub.2 O (IIA)
• (C) passing a direct current through the electrolysis cell to produce the quaternary ammonium borohydride represented by the formula
• [(R.sub.1 R.sub.2 R.sub.3 R.sub.4)N].sup.+ BH.sub.4.sup.- (IIIA)
• in the catholyte wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 in Formulae IC, IIA and IIIA are each independently alkyl groups containing from 1 to about 10 carbon atoms, or hydroxyalkyl groups containing from 2 to about 10 carbon atoms;
• x is 1 or 2;
• y is 1 or 4;
• z is 2, 3 or 7;
• and m is O or an integer equal to the number of moles of water of hydralion;
• and
• (D) removing at least a portion of the catholyte containing quaternary ammonium borohydride from the catholyte compartment.