Communication
B(4)=2.176(12) for 1b, are considerably shorter than the dis-
tance to the agostically coordinated BH groups, B(9)ÀH(9a)
bond, B(9)ÀH(9a)=1.41(16), Os(2)ÀB(9)=2.624(10), and Os(2)À
H(9a)=1.64(16) , in 1a, and B(8)ÀH(8a)=1.03(18), Os(2)À
B(8)=2.629(13), and Os(2)ÀH(8a)=1.70(18) for 1b. Agostical-
ly coordinated BÀH bonds exhibit characteristically longer M–B
[
7]
distances. Two BÀH bonds were cleaved from the cage in the
ligation process and the hydrogen atoms were shifted to the
metal atoms to become bridging hydrido ligands as shown in
1
Figures 1 and 2: H NMR: d=À17.90 (s, 1H), À20.25 ppm (s,
1
H) for 1a and d=À17.93 (s, 1H), À20.22 ppm (s, 1H) for 1b.
The boron atoms from the cleaved BÀH bonds are the ones
coordinated directly to the metal atoms. The hydrogen atoms
of the agostically coordinated BH groups are also characteristi-
1
cally shifted upfield and appear as a quartet due to J coupling
to the neighboring boron atom: for 1a: d=À9.97 ppm (q, br,
1
BÀH!Os), J =76 Hz; for 1b: d=À9.91 ppm (q, br, BÀH!
BÀH
1
[8]
Os), J =78 Hz. Isomers 1a and 1b differ principally by the
BÀH
B3 triangle through which the carborane is coordinated to the
Os triangle. For 1a it is coordinated to the 4,5,9 triangle, but
3
for 1b it is coordinated to the 3,4,8 triangle. The locations of
the carbon atoms in each carborane ligand were identified by
their characteristically short C–C bond distance.
Figure 3. An ORTEP diagram of the molecular structure of Os
3 9 2 3
(CO) (m-H) (m -
4,5,9-m -7,11,12-C B H )Os (CO) (m-H) (2) showing 25% thermal ellipsoid
3
2
10
7
3
9
3
probability. Selected interatomic bond distances [] are as follows: Os(1)À
B(4)=2.169(11), Os(2)ÀB(9)=2.593(11), Os(3)ÀB(5)=2.188(11), Os(4)À
B(11)=2.189(11), Os(5)ÀB(7)=2.185(11), Os(6)ÀB(11)=2.211(11), Os(2)À
H(9A)=1.86(10), B(9)ÀH(9A)=1.30(9), and C(1)ÀC(2)=1.603(14).
Compounds 1a and 1b can be interconverted thermally.
The equilibrium ratio 1a/1b=0.63 in toluene solvent was ach-
ieved by heating 1a at 1088C for 48 h. In the transformation
of 1a to 1b, the carborane cage must shift by two B triangles
3
and must involve the addition of a hydrogen atom to B5 and
a cleavage of the hydrogen atom from B3. It is likely that the
hydrido ligands on the metal cluster participate in these hydro-
gen exchanges, but details of the mechanism are not available
at this time.
Except for the presence of one of the bridging hydrido ligands,
H(2), on the Os(1)-Os(2)-Os(3) triangle, compound 2 contains
overall an approximate reflection symmetry with the symmetry
plane passing through the cage atoms C(1), C(2), B(9), and
B(12).
Interestingly, 1a and 1b react with a second equivalent of
Os (CO) (NCMe) at 978C to yield two new hexaosmium com-
An ORTEP diagram of the molecular structure of 3 is shown
in Figure 4. Compound 3 also contains two triangular triosmi-
um clusters that are coordinated to a significantly ruptured
C B H cage. Each triosmium cluster contains two directly-co-
3
10
2
pounds: Os (CO) (m-H) (m -4,5,9-m -7,11,12-C B H )Os (CO) (m-
3
9
2
3
3
2
10
7
3
9
H)3 (2) (38% yield) and Os (CO) (m-H)(m -3,4,8-m -7,11,12-
3
9
3
3
2
10
8
C B H )Os (CO) (m-H) (3) (5% yield). Compound 2 can be con-
ordinated boron atoms, one triply-bridging agostic BH group
and one bridging hydrido ligand. The Os–B distances to the
triply-bridging agostic BH groups, B(3) and B(7), are significant-
ly shorter, Os(1)ÀB(3)=2.132(10), Os(2)ÀB(3)=2.200(10), Os(3)À
B(3)=2.199(10), Os(1)ÀH(3A)=1.85(15), Os(5)ÀB(7)=2.150(11),
Os(4)ÀB(7)=2.235(10), Os(6)ÀB(7)=2.191(11) , than those to
the agostically coordinated BH groups that are coordinated to
only one metal atom as found in compounds 1a, 1b, and 2.
The resonances of the triply bridging agostic BH groups are
shifted to slightly higher field values, d=À11.83 (br, 1H), and
À13.56 ppm (br, 1H), than those of 1a, 1b, and 2. The
osmium triangle Os(4)-Os(5)-Os(6) is bonded to the same
group of boron atoms, 7,11,12, as found in 2, but the Os(1)-
2
10
8
3
9
verted to 3 in 15% yield by heating a solution of 2 in nonane
solvent to reflux for 1.25 h. Compounds 2 and 3 have both
been characterized by a combination of IR, NMR and single-
crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. An ORTEP diagram of the mo-
lecular structure of 2 is shown in Figure 3.
Compound 2 contains a C B H cage sandwiched between
2
10
7
two triangular triosmium carbonyl clusters. The metal clusters
bridge the 4,5,9 and 7,11,12 B triangles of the closo-C B H
7
3
2
10
cage. Two boron atoms, Os(1)ÀB(4)=2.169(11), Os(3)ÀB(5)=
.188(11) , and one agostically coordinated BH group,
2
1
Os(2)ÀB(9)=2.593(11), Os(2)ÀH(9 A)=1.86(10) , H NMR d=
1
À9.70 ppm (q, 1H), J = ~82 Hz, are bonded to the Os(1)-
BÀH
Os(2)-Os(3) triangle. The Os(1)-Os(2)-Os(3) triangle also contains
two bridging hydrido ligands that were presumably transferred
to the cluster from the two boron atoms that are directly
Os(2)-Os(3) group is bonded instead to the B group 3,4,8 and
3
thus was shifted in the course of the conversion of 2 to 3.
We have analyzed the transformation of 2 into 3 in terms
bonded to the osmium atoms. Three boron atoms, Os(4)À a two-step mechanism as shown in Scheme 1. The process
B(11)=2.189(11), Os(5)ÀB(7)=2.185(11), and Os(6)ÀB(11)=
.211(11) are directly coordinated to the Os(4)-Os(5)-Os(6) tri-
begins with a shift of the Os(1)-Os(2)-Os(3) cluster from the
4,5,9 B -triangle to the 3,4,8 B -triangle. In the process, a hydro-
2
3
3
angle. Accordingly, this Os triangle contains three hydrido li-
gen atom is shifted to B(5) and one is cleaved from B(3). This
step would lead to the formation of an intermediate represent-
3
gands with one bridging each of the three OsÀOs bonds.
Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22, 6501 – 6504
6502
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