Diselenolate- and ditellurolate-carborane gold complexes.

Gold complexes with selenolate and tellurolate carborane ligands [E2C2B10H10](2-) (E = Se, Te) have been synthesized by reaction of a freshly prepared solution of [1,2-(LiE)2C2B10H10] (E = Se, Te) with [AuClL] (L = PPh3, PPh2Me, PPh2py) in a 1 : 2 molar ratio or [Au2Cl2(P∼P)] [P∼P = dppf, 1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphano)ferrocene; dppe, 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphano)ethane; dppc, 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphano)-o-carborane] in a 1 : 1 molar ratio affording complexes [Au2(μ-1,2-E2C2B10H10)L2] or [Au2(μ-1,2-E2C2B10H10)(P∼P)], respectively. The gold(III) species PPN[Au(E2C2B10H10)2] (PPN = bis(triphenylphosphano)iminium) have been afforded by reaction of PPN[AuCl4] with [1,2-(LiE)2C2B10H10]. Complex [Au4(μ-1,2-Se2C2B10H10)2(μ-dppc)2] displays a tetranuclear structure, different from the dinuclear cyclic arrangement proposed for other complexes with diphosphanes of [Au2(μ-1,2-Se2C2B10H10)(P∼P)] stoichiometry.