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In an attempt to synthesize expanded-cage metallaheteroboranes containing heavier chalcogen atoms, the reaction of diruthenaborane analogue of pentaborane(9), nido -[1,2-(Cp*RuH) 2 B 3 H 7 ] ( 1 ) with phenyl-chalcogenoborates Li[BH 3 (EPh)] (E = S, Se or Te) was carried out. Thermolysis of nido - 1 with Li[BH 3 (SPh)] led to the formation of the dimetalla-pentaborane(11) analogue arachno -[(Cp*Ru) 2 B 3 H 8 (SPh)] ( 2 ). In parallel to the formation of 2 , the reaction also yielded three B-H functionalized compounds, namely [(Cp*Ru) 2 B 4 H 7 (Ph)] ( 3 ), [(Cp*Ru) 2 B 4 H 7 (Cl)] ( 4 ) and [(Cp*Ru) 2 B 4 H 6 (SPh)(Cl)] ( 5 ). On the other hand, reaction of 1 with Li[BH 3 (SePh)] led to the formation of the diruthenium analogue of hexaborane(10) nido -[(Cp*Ru) 2 B 4 H 9 (SePh)] ( 6 ), whereas Li[BH 3 (TePh)] yielded the capped nido -pentagonal-pyramidal [(Cp*Ru) 2 B 4 H 6 Te] ( 7 ). Compound 7 is a rare ruthenaborane cluster containing a heavier chalcogen element (Te). All the compounds were characterized by mass spectrometry and 1 H, 1 H{ 11 B}, 11 B{ 1 H} and 13 C{ 1 H}NMR spectroscopy. The solid state X-ray structures of all the compounds were unequivocally established by crystallographic analysis. Additionally, the electronic properties of compound 2 were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reaction of [Cp∗CoCl]2 (Cp∗ = η5-C5Me5) with [LiBH4·THF] in toluene at −70 °C, followed by thermolysis with 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (C7H5NS2) in boiling toluene led to the isolation of a range of cobaltaborane clusters, [(Cp∗Co)2B7H6OMe], 1; [(Cp∗Co)3B8H7R], 2a, b (2a: R = H; 2b: R = Me); [(Cp∗Co)3B8H8S], 3 and [(Cp∗Co)2B4H4RR′], 4a–d (4a: R, R′ = H; 4b: R = Me, R′ = H; 4c: R = H, R′ = Me and 4d: R, R′ = Me). In parallel to the formation of compounds 1–4, the reaction also yielded known [(Cp∗Co)3B4H4] in good yield. Compound 1 may be considered as 9-vertex hypoelectronic cluster with C1 symmetry, where cobalt atoms occupy the degree 5 vertices. All the dicobaltaboranes 4a–d contains two μ3-H protons and found to be very reactive. As a result, one of them (4a) when reacted with Fe2(CO)9 and sulfur powder yielded, almost immediately, [(Cp∗Co)2B4H5SFe3(CO)9], 5 and [(Cp∗Co)2B3H3(μ-CO)Fe(CO)3], 6. All the new compounds have been characterized in solution by mass, 1H, 11B, 13C NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The structural types were unequivocally established by X-ray crystallographic analysis of compounds 1–6. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations on the model compounds 1′ and 2′ (1′, and 2′ are the Cp analog of 1, and 2a respectively, Cp = C5H5) yield geometries in agreement with the structure determinations. The existence of large HOMO–LUMO gap of these molecules rationalizes the isocloso description for 2a. Bonding patterns in the structure have been analyzed on the grounds of DFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]