Hexaethyl-2,4-dicarba-nido-hexaborane(8), Deprotonation and Complexation Studied by NMR Spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory (DFT) Calculations
Deprotonation of hexaethyl-2,4-dicarba-nido-borane(8) 2 leads first to the hexaethyl-2,4-dicarbanido- borate(1−) 3, and further deprotonation, using BuLi/KOtBu, gives the hexaethyl-2,4-dicarbanido- hexaborate(2−) 4. The reaction of 3 with FeCl2 affords the commo-ferracarborane [Fe(Et6-2,4- C2B4H)2] 5, and the analogous reaction of 4 leads to the anionic sandwich complex [Fe(Et6-2,4- C2B4)2]2− 6 which can be protonated to give 5. The complex 5 contains two hydrido ligands, each bridging the iron and two boron atoms. Reactions were monitored and the products were characterised by 11B NMR spectroscopy in solution. The geometries of the carboranes, the borates (all unsubstituted and permethyl-substituted) and the iron complexes (all unsubstituted) were optimised by DFT methods [B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) or B3LYP/6-31+G(d)], and the relevant NMR data [chemical shifts δ11B, δ13C, δ57Fe, and coupling constants 1J(13C,1H), 1J(11B,1H), 1J(57Fe,1H), 1J(57Fe,11B)] were calculated at the same level of theory.