Chlorinated hypoelectronic dimetallaborane clusters: synthesis, characterization, and electronic structures of (eta(5)-C5Me5W)2B5H(n)Cl(m) (n = 7, m = 2 and n = 8, m = 1).

Pyrolysis of (eta(5)-C(5)Me(5)WH(3))B(4)H(8), 1, in the presence of excess BHCl(2) x SMe(2) in toluene at 100 degrees C led to the isolation of (eta(5)-C(5)Me(5)W)(2)B(5)H(9), 2, and B-Cl inserted (eta(5)-C(5)Me(5)W)(2)B(5)H(8)Cl, 3, and (eta(5)-C(5)Me(5)W)(2)B(5)H(7)Cl(2), 4-7 (four isomers). All the chlorinated tungstaboranes were isolated as red and air and moisture sensitive solids. These new compounds have been characterized in solution by (1)H, (11)B, (13)C NMR, and the structural types were unequivocally established by crystallographic analysis of compounds 3, 4, and 7. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out on the model molecules of 3-7 to elucidate the actual electronic structures of these chlorinated species. On grounds of DFT calculations we demonstrated the role of transition metals, bridging hydrogens, and the effect of electrophilic substitution of hydrogens at B-H vertices of metallaborane structures.

Does a sterically bulky group occupy the equatorial site in trigonal bipyramidal phosphorus?

[structure: see text] The sterically bulky tert-butyl group occupies an apical position in trigonal bipyramidal phosphorus in the compound [CH2(6-t-Bu-4-Me-C6H2O)2]P(t-Bu)(1,2-O2C6Cl4) in contrast to the occupation of an equatorial position by the small methyl group in [CH2(6-t-Bu-4-Me-C6H2O)2]P(Me)(1,2-O2C6Cl4); this observation contradicts the familiar "apicophilicity rules" for trigonal bipyramidal phosphorus. Low-temperature solution 31P NMR spectra of [CH2(6-t-Bu-4-Me-C6H2O)2]P(R)(1,2-O2C6Cl4) (R = Me, Et, and n-Bu) show the presence of more than two isomers.

A unifying electron-counting rule for macropolyhedral boranes, metallaboranes, and metallocenes.

A generally applicable electron-counting rule-the mno rule-that integrates macropolyhedral boranes, metallaboranes, and metallocenes and any combination thereof is presented. According to this rule, m + n + o number of electron pairs are necessary for a macropolyhedral system to be stable. Here, m is the number of polyhedra, n is the number of vertices, and o is the number of single-vertex-sharing condensations. For nido and arachno arrangements, one and two additional pairs of electrons are required. Wade's n + 1 rule is a special case of the mno rule, where m = 1 and o = 0. B20H16, for example has m = 2 and n = 20, leading to 22 electron pairs. Ferrocene, with two nido polyhedral fragments, has m = 2, n = 11, and o = 1, making the total 2 + 11 + 1 + 2 = 16. The generality of the mno rule is demonstrated by applying it to a variety of known macropolyhedral boranes and heteroboranes. We also enumerate the various pathways for condensation by taking icosahedral B12 as the model. The origin of the mno rule is explored by using fragment molecular orbitals. This clearly shows that the number of skeletal bonding molecular orbitals of two polyhedral fragments remains unaltered during exohedral interactions. This is true even when a single vertex is shared, provided the common vertex is large enough to avoid nonbonding interactions of adjacent vertices on either side. But the presence of more than one common vertex results in the sharing of surface orbitals thereby, reducing the electronic requirements.

Polyhedral boranes and elemental boron: direct structural relations and diverse electronic requirements.

Details of the electronic and structural connections between macropolyhedral boranes and elemental boron are reported. The nature of electron deficiency in the beta-rhombohedral polymorph of boron is analyzed by using a molecular fragments approach with boranes as model systems. The B57H36 molecule constructed from such an approach has three more electrons than mandated by the electron-counting rules (Balakrishnarajan, M. M.; Jemmis, E. D. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 456. Jemmis, E. D.; Balakrishnarajan, M. M.; Pancharatna, P. D. J. Am Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 4313-4323.) devised for macropolyhedral boranes. This is also confirmed by electronic structure calculations at the extended Hückel and B3LYP/6-31G levels. The aromaticity of this B57H36(3+) molecule is on par with the most stable B12H12(2-) itself, as revealed by nuclear independent chemical shift calculations. The B57 skeleton can be made electron precise by adopting a nido arrangement by eliminating an atom from the closo skeleton, so that three valence electrons will be removed. The exact site of elimination, governed by thermodynamic factors, necessitates the removal of a boron atom from any of the six symmetrically equivalent B[13] sites in the unit cell. This leads to partial occupancies, which causes disorder in packing, as revealed by X-ray structure studies. The rest of the boron atoms are distributed in icosahedral B12 fragments, whose two-electron deficiency is satisfied by the capping of extra atoms, distributed statistically in the interstitial sites. These results show that the three-dimensional network of the idealized beta-rhombohedral unit cell is not stable, unlike the electron-precise carbon polymorphs such as diamond and graphite. Thus, disorder in the form of partial occupancies, interstitial atoms, alien atoms, etc., is necessary for electron sufficiency and hence for the stability of this polymorphic form. Through these ingenious steps, all components of the unit cell attain electron sufficiency, which explains the high thermodynamic stability of the polymorph. The connection established between boranes and elemental boron in terms of their structure and distribution of electrons has important implications in understanding the structure of boron-rich solids and new strategies to utilize their diverse and technologically important properties.

A theoretical study of transition metal complexes of C60 and C70 and their ring-opened alternatives.

Ring opened structures of C60 and C70 are shown to be stabilized by complexation with transition metal fragments of the form CnHnM, where n = 3 to 6 and M = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Rh. The ring opening of C60 and C70 is compared with the reverse process of the well-known catalytic conversion of acetylene into benzene. Calculations at the semi-empirical PM3(tm) level show that the 6-membered ring in C60 and C70 can be opened up in different ways through complexation with transition metal fragment. The mode of ring opening depends on the number of external 5- and 6-membered rings around the 6-membered ring being cleaved. The structures and energetics of the various ring-opened structures are discussed.