Syntheses and structural characterizations of endo-eta(1)-, exo-eta(1)-, eta(4)-, eta(5)-, and eta(6)-metallaphosphamonocarbaborane complexes derived from a versatile new polyborane ligand: exo-6-R-arachno-6,7-PCB(8)H(12).

Deprotonation of the phosphamonocarbaborane, exo-6-R-arachno-6,7-PCB(8)H(12) (R = Ph 1a or Me 1b), yields exo-6-R-arachno-6,7-PCB(8)H(11)(-), which when reacted with appropriate transition-metal reagents affords new metallaphosphamonocarbaborane complexes in which the metals adopt endo-eta(1), exo-eta(1), eta(4), eta(5), or eta(6) coordination geometries bonded to the formal R-arachno-PCB(8)H(11)(-), R-arachno-PCB(8)H(10)(2-), R-arachno-PCB(8)H(9)(3-), or R-nido-PCB(8)H(9)(-) ligands. The reaction of exo-6-(C(6)H(5))-arachno-6,7-PCB(8)H(11)(-) (1a-) with Mn(CO)(5)Br generated the eta(1)-sigma product exo-6-[Mn(CO)(5)]-endo-6-(C(6)H(5))-arachno-6,7-PCB(8)H(11) (2) having the [Mn(CO)(5)] fragment in the thermodynamically favored exo position at the P6 cage atom. On the other hand, reaction of 1a- with (eta(5)-C(5)H(5))Fe(CO)(2)I resulted in the formation of two products, an eta(1)-sigma complex endo-6-[(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))Fe(CO)(2)]-exo-6-(C(6)H(5))-arachno-6,7-PCB(8)H(11) (3) having the (eta(5)-C(5)H(5))Fe(CO)(2) fragment attached at the endo-P6 position and an eta(6)-closo complex, 1-(eta(5)-C(5)H(5))-2-(C(6)H(5))-closo-1,2,3-FePCB(8)H(9) (4a).

Syntheses, crystallographic/computational characterizations, and reactions of the first 10-vertex arachno- and nido-phosphamonocarbaboranes.

A synthetic sequence involving the initial reaction of a substituted phosphorus dihalide (RPCl(2), R = CH(3), C(6)H(5)) with the arachno-CB(8)H(13)(-) (1-) monoanion followed by an in situ dehydrohalogenation reaction initiated by Proton Sponge, resulted in phosphorus cage insertion to yield the first 10-vertex arachno- and nido-phosphamonocarbaboranes, exo-6-R-arachno-6,7-PCB(8)H(12) (2a, 2b) and PSH(+)6-R-nido-6,9-PCB(8)H(9)(-) (PSH+3a-, PSH+3b-) (R = C(6)H(5) (a), CH(3) (b)). Alternatively, 2a and 2b were synthesized in high yield as the sole product of the reaction of the arachno-4-CB(8)H(12)(2-) (1(2-)) dianion with RPCl(2). Crystallographic determinations of PSH+3a- and PSH+3b- in conjunction with DFT/GIAO computational studies of the anions have confirmed the expected nido cage framework based on an octadecahedron missing the six-coordinate vertex.