An NMR study of some reactions of an arachno-molybdapentaborane: Formation of an unstable nido-molybdapentaborane

Photolysis of the molybdaborane [(η⁵-C₅H₅)(η⁵:η¹-C₅H₄)-arachno-2-MoB₄H₇] (1) in benzene-d₆ gives ca. 60% conversion to the compound [(η⁵-C₅H₅)(η⁵:η¹-C₅H₄)-nido-2-MoB₄H₅] (2). Compound 2 could not be isolated as a solid and is thermally unstable at 20 °C in solution with a half-life of 3-4 h. Repeated photolysis and thermolysis of 1 in the presence of BH₃ · thf gives a low yield of the known metallacarbaborane [(η⁵-C₅H₅)(η²:η³-C₃H₃)-closo-1-MoC₂B₉H₉] (3) suggesting that 3 is formed from 1 via 2. Reaction of 1 with PEt₃ gives initially [(η⁵-C₅H₅)(η⁵:η¹-C₅H₄)-arachno-2-MoHB₄H₄PEt₃] (4). Longer reaction times (>10 min, 20 °C) give in addition [(η⁵-C₅H₅)(η⁵:η¹-C₅H₄)-arachno-1-MoHB₃H₃PEt₃] (5). Both 4 and 5 are unstable in solution or the solid state decomposing to the molybdacarbaborane [(η⁵-C₅H₅)(η³:η²- C₃H₃)-nido-1-MoC₂B₃H₅] (6), [Mo(η-C₅H₅)₂H₂] and BH₃ · PEt₃. Compound 1 is deprotonated cleanly by KH in thf at the Mo-H-B bridging proton to give (7).     

Synthesis of cyclopentadienyl ruthenium(II) complexes containing tethered functionalities

The reaction of [C₅H₄(CH₂)_nX]Tl (1: n = 2, X = NMe₂, OMe, CN; n = 3, X = NMe₂) with [(η⁶-C₆H₆)RuCl(μ-Cl)]₂, 2, afforded the sandwich compounds [{η⁵-C₅H₄(CH₂)_nX}Ru(η⁶-C₆H₆)]PF₆, 3, and [η⁵-C₅H₄(CH₂)_nX]₂Ru, 4. Photolytic cleavage of 3 in acetonitrile afforded the tethered products [{η⁵:κN-C₅H₄(CH₂)_nX}Ru(CH₃CN)₂]PF₆, 5.     

C-ansa-zirconocene complexes with O/S donor ligands: Novel homoleptic six coordinate 4-mercaptophenolate complex of Zr(IV)

New C-ansa-zirconocene complexes containing methoxythiophenolate and mercaptophenolate ligands have been synthesized and characterized. The reaction of (HSC₆H₄-n-OMe) (n = 2, 3 or 4) with [Zr{(t-Bu)HC(η⁵-C₅Me₄)(η⁵-C₅H₄)}Me₂] (1) led to the formation of monosubstituted complexes [Zr{(t-Bu)HC(η⁵-C₅Me₄)(η⁵-C₅H₄)}Me(κ,S-SC₆H₄-n-OMe)] (n = 2 (2); n = 3 (3)) and the disubstituted complex [Zr{(t-Bu)HC(η⁵-C₅Me₄)(η⁵-C₅H₄)}(κ,S-SC₆H₄-4-OMe)₂] (4). The complexes [Zr{(R)HC(η⁵-C₅Me₄)(η⁵-C₅H₄)}(κ,O-OC₆H₄-4-SH)₂] (R = t-Bu (6); R = CH₂CHCH₂ (7)) and [Zr(η⁵-C₅H₄)₂(OC₆H₄-n-SH)₂] (n = 3 (9); n = 4 (10)) have been synthesized using the corresponding dimethyl zirconocene and mercaptophenol. However, the reaction of [Zr{(t-Bu)HC(η⁵-C₅Me₄)(η⁵-C₅H₄)}Cl₂] (11) with 4-mercaptophenol in the presence of NEt₃ led to the formation of the first example of a homoleptic six-coordinate mercaptophenolate complex of zirconium, namely [HNEt₃]₂[Zr(κ,O-OC₆H₄-4-SH)₆] (12). Complex 12 can be obtained in higher yield by the reaction of ZrCl₄ with six equivalents of 4-mercaptophenol and NEt_3. The reaction of 12 with [Zr(η⁵-C₅H₄)₂Cl₂] gave the unexpected disubstituted complex [Zr(η⁵-C₅H₄)₂(OC₆H₄-4-SH)₂] (10). The molecular structures of 4 and 12 have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies.