Deprotonation of neutral arachno-4,5-C2B7H13 (1) either with 1, 8-(NMe2)2C10H6 (proton sponge, PS) or with a mixture of aqueous K2CO3 and [NMe4]Cl leads to the isolation in high yield of the [arachno-4,5-C2B7H12]- anion (2). Isostructural with this anion is the ligand derivative exo-6-(MeNC)-arachno-4,5-C2B7H11 (3), which is prepared in 20% yield from the reaction between arachno-4,5-C2B7H13 and MeNC in dichloromethane. Under comparable conditions compound 1 with tertiary amines gives the first representatives of the nine-vertex hypho family of dicarbaboranes, the ligand derivatives exo-5-(NR3)-hypho-4,9-C2B7H13 (4a and 4b, where R = Me and Et, respectively) in moderate yields (20 - 55%), whereas the reaction between 1 and aqueous NaCN results in the selective removal of one boron vertex to yield the eight-vertex [hypho-7,8-C2B6H13]- anion (5) in 61% yield. All compounds isolated were characterized by 11B and 1H NMR spectroscopy, with two-dimensional and selective decoupling techniques giving unambiguous assignments.