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The recent achievements and progress in the field of high-nuclearity supraicosahedral metallaborane chemistry are reviewed and compared to those made in borane, carborane and metallacarborane chemistry. In contrast to metallacarboranes, characterized large supraicosahedral metallaboranes only adopt isocloso deltahedral structural arrangements with n vertices and a non-Wadean n skeletal-electron-pair count. This anomaly can be rationalized by the preference of metal atoms for 6-connect vertices present in the cluster cages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemistry and reactivity of dimolybdathiaborane, [(CpMo)BSH], 1, obtained from the reaction of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, [CpMoCl] and [LiBH.thf], has been explored with dinuclear metal carbonyl [Fe(CO)]. As a result, reaction of 1 with [Fe(CO)] yielded heterometallathiaborane, [(CpMo)BHSFe(CO)], 2 in good yield. Both the new compounds have been characterized in solution by H, B and C NMR spectroscopy and the structural types were unequivocally established by X-ray crystallographic analysis of compound 2. Cluster 2 has a bicapped octahedral geometry with the {Fe(CO)} fragment occupying one of the high-connectivity cluster vertexes rather than a capping position. Interestingly, cluster 1 undergoes geometric changes (bicapped trigonal bipyramid → bicapped octahedron) on the addition of two-electron {Fe(CO)} fragment to 1. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Recently we described the synthesis and structural characterization of various dimetallaherteroborane clusters, namely nido-[(CpMo)BEClH], 1- 3; ( 1: E = S, x = 0; 2: E = Se, x = 0; 3: E = Te, x = 1). A combined theoretical and experimental study was also performed, which demonstrated that the clusters 1- 3 with their open face are excellent precursors for cluster growth reaction. In this investigation process on the reactivity of dimetallaheteroboranes with metal carbonyls, in addition to [(CpMo)BHEFe(CO)] ( 4: E = S, 6: E = Te) reported earlier, reaction of 2 with [ Fe(CO)] yielded mixed-metallaselenaborane [(CpMo)BHSeFe(CO)], 5 in good yield. The quantum chemical calculation using DFT method has been carried out to probe the bonding, NMR chemical shifts and electronic properties of dimolybdaheteroborane clusters 4- 6. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [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]

Abstract: DFT calculations were performed to gain insight of possible dihydrogen uptake by the electron-deficient metallaborane (CpRe)2B6H6 (A). Results first revealed a possible H–H insertion in A, giving rise to the formation of (CpRe)2B6H8 isomers accompanied with an opening of B–B bonds in the B6H6 ring and Re–B bonds breaking. A two-step pathway was calculated to be the lowest-energy route with the highest activation barrier at ca. 25kcal/mol at the B3LYP/6-311G++(d,p) level of theory. Addition of a second dihydrogen molecule to A is also found possible leading to the hydrogen-saturated species (CpRe)2B6H10. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]