(Tetramethylcyclobutadiene)cobalt Complexes with Tricarbollide Ligands

Acyl chloride carbon insertion into dicarbaborane cages – new route to tricarbollide cages

Reactions between the arachno-6,9-C2B8H14 dicarbaborane and acyl chlorides, RCOCl, in the presence of amine bases in CH2Cl2, followed by acidification with conc. H2SO4 at 0 °C, generate in high yields a series of neutral alkyl and aryl tricarbollides of structure 8-R-nido-7,8,9-C3B8H11 (where R=alkyls and aryls). These skeletal alkylcarbonation (SAC) reactions are consistent with an aldol-type condensation between the RCO group and open-face dicarbaborane hydrogen atoms, which is associated with the insertion of the acyl chloride RC unit into the structure under elimination of three extra hydrogen atoms as H2O and HCl. The reactions thus result in an effective cross-coupling between R and the tricarbollide cage. High-temperature reactions between 8-Ar-nido-7,8,9-C3B8H11 (where Ar=Ph, 1-C10H7, and 2-C10H7) compounds and [CpFe(CO)2]2 produced the first types of monoaryl substituted twelve-vertex ferratricarbollide complexes of general constitution [1-(CpFe)-closo-ArC3B8H10] with three different arrangements of cluster carbon vertexes. The Fe-complexation is accompanied by extensive rearrangement of the cluster carbon atoms over the twelve-vertex cage and the complexes isolated can be regarded as ferrocene analogues.

Carbon insertion into arachno-6,9-C2B8H14 via acyl chlorides. skeletal alkylcarbonation (SAC) reactions: a new route for tricarbollides

Reactions between arachno-6,9-C2B8H14 (1) and selected acyl chlorides, RCOCl, in the presence of PS (PS = "proton sponge", 1,8-dimethylamino naphthalene) in CH2Cl2 for 24 h at reflux, followed by in situ acidification with concentrated H2SO4 at 0 °C, generate a series of neutral alkyl and aryl tricarbollides 8-R-nido-7,8,9-C3B8H11 (2) (where R = CH3, 2a; C2H5, 2b; n-C4H9, 2c; C6H5, 2d; 4-Cl-C6H4, 2e; 4-Br-C6H4, 2f; 4-I-C6H4, 2g; 1-C10H7, 2h; and 2-C10H7, 2i). The best yields were achieved for aryl derivatives (80-95%) while the yields of the corresponding alkyl substituted compounds are lower (60-70%). These skeletal alkylcarbonation (SAC) reactions are consistent with an aldol-type condensation between the RCO group and open-face hydrogen atoms on the dicarbaborane 1, which is associated with the insertion of the carbonyl carbon atom into the structure of arachno-6,9-C2B8H14 (1) under elimination of three extra hydrogen atoms as H2O and HCl. The reactions thus result in an effective R-tricarbaborane cross-coupling. Individual compounds of structure 2 have been purified by chromatography on a silica gel support, using hexane as the mobile phase (R(F) = ∼0.3). Deprotonation agents, such as NEt3, NaOH, NaH, etc., convert tricarbaboranes 2 into the corresponding conjugated anions [8-R-nido-7,8,9-C3B8H10](-) (2(-)) which were isolated as salts with suitable countercations (for example, Et3NH(+), Tl(+), NEt4(+), etc.). The compounds have been characterized by multinuclear ((11)B, (1)H, and (13)C) NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and elemental analyses. The structures of anions [8-R-nido-7,8,9-C3B8H10]¯ (where R = C6H5, 4-I-C6H4 and 1-C10H7; 2a(-), 2g(-), and 2h(-)) and that of the neutral 8-(1-C10H7)-nido-7,8,9-C3B8H11 (2h) have been established by X-ray diffraction analyses.