Direct insertion of sulfur, selenium and tellurium atoms into metallaborane cages using chalcogen powders

Abstract

Reaction of [(η⁵-C₅Me₅)MCl₄], 1–2 (1: M = Mo and 2: W) with six fold excess of [LiBH4·thf] followed by thermolysis with excess chalcogen powders (S, Se and Te) yielded dichalcomolybda- and tungstaboranes, [(η⁵-C₅Me₅M)₂B₄H₄E₂], 5–8 (5: M = Mo, E = S; 6: M = Mo, E = Se; 7: M = Mo, E = Te; 8: M = W, E = Se) in modest yields. The geometry of 5–8 resembles a hexagonal bipyramid with a missing connectivity of two chalcogen vertices and a very short cross cage metal–metal bonding. All these new dichalcometallaboranes have been characterized by mass, ¹H, ¹¹B, ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, and the structural types were unequivocally established by crystallographic analysis of compound 6.