The prevalence of isocloso deltahedra in low-energy hypoelectronic metalladicarbaboranes with a single metal vertex: manganese and rhenium derivatives

Theoretical studies on the hypoelectronic metalladicarbaboranes CpMC(2)B(n-3)H(n-1) (M = Mn, Re; n = 9, 10, 11) having 2n skeletal electrons indicate that true isocloso MC(2)B(n-3) deltahedra are highly energetically favored in which the metal atom occupies the single degree 6 vertex. This contrasts with the previously studied isoelectronic diferradicarbaboranes Cp(2)Fe(2)C(2)B(n-3)H(n-1) for which the isocloso structure is clearly favored only for the 10-vertex system. For the 12-vertex hypoelectronic manganadicarbaborane CpMnC(2)B(9)H(11) with 2n (= 24) skeletal electrons the lowest energy structures have central MnC(2)B(9) icosahedra. However, for the corresponding rhenadicarbaborane CpReC(2)B(9)H(11) the lowest energy structures have central non-icosahedral ReC(2)B(9) deltahedra with two degree 6 vertices, one of which is occupied by the rhenium atom. The low-energy structures for the metalladicarbaboranes studied in this work relate to the preferences of transition metal atoms for degree 6 vertices but those of boron and carbon for degree 5 and 4 vertices, respectively.     

Hypoelectronic dirhenaboranes having eight to twelve vertices: internal versus surface rhenium-rhenium bonding

Fehlner, Ghosh, and their co-workers have synthesized a series of dirhenaboranes Cp(2)Re(2)B(n-2)H(n-2) (n = 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) exhibiting unprecedented oblate (flattened) deltahedral structures. These structures have degree 6 and/or 7 rhenium vertices at the flattest regions on opposite sides of an axially compressed deltahedron thereby leading to Re═Re distances in the range 2.69 to 2.94 ? suggesting internal formal double bonds. These experimental oblate (flattened) deltahedral structures are shown by density functional theory to be the lowest energy structures for these dirhenaboranes. In some cases the energy differences between such oblate deltahedral structures and the next higher energy structures are quite considerable, that is, up to 25 kcal/mol for the nine-vertex Cp(2)Re(2)B(7)H(7) structures. The higher energy Cp(2)Re(2)B(n-2)H(n-2) structures are of the two types: (1) Most spherical (closo) deltahedra having unusually short 2.28 to 2.39 ? Re-Re edges with unusually high Wiberg bond indices suggesting formal multiple bonds on the deltahedral surface; (2) Deltahedra having one or two degree 3 vertices and 2.6 to 2.9 ? Re-Re edges. The latter deltahedra are derived from smaller deltahedra by capping Re(2)B faces with the degree 3 vertices.     

Density functional theory study of 10-atom germanium clusters: effect of electron count on cluster geometry

Density functional theory (DFT) at the hybrid B3LYP level has been applied to Ge10z germanium clusters (z = -6, -4, -2, 0, +2, +4, +6) starting from 12 different initial configurations. The D4d 4,4-bicapped square antiprism found experimentally in B10H102- and other 10-vertex clusters with 22 skeletal electrons is calculated for the isoelectronic Ge102- to be the global minimum by more than 15 kcal/mol. The global minima found for electron-rich clusters Ge104- and Ge106- are not those known experimentally. However, experimentally known structures for nido-B10H14 and the pentagonal antiprism of arachno-Pd@Bi104+ are found at higher but potentially accessible energies for Ge104- and Ge106-. The global minimum for Ge10 is the C3v 3,4,4,4-tetracapped trigonal prism predicted by the Wade-Mingos rules and found experimentally in isoelectronic Ni@Ga1010-. However, only slightly above this global minimum for Ge10 (+3.3 kcal/mol) is the likewise C3v isocloso 10-vertex deltahedron found in metallaboranes such as (eta6-arene)RuB9H9 derivatives. Structures found for more electron-poor clusters Ge102+ and Ge104+ include various capped octahedra and pentagonal bipyramids. This study predicts a number of 10-vertex cluster structures that have not yet been realized experimentally but would be interesting targets for future synthetic 10-vertex cluster chemistry using vertex units isolobal with the germanium vertices used in this work.     

Oblate deltahedra in dimetallaboranes: geometry and chemical bonding

A new series of nonspherical and very oblate deltahedra, conveniently called the oblatocloso deltahedra, is found in dimetallaboranes among which the dirhenaboranes Cp2Re2B(n-2)H(n-2) (8 相似文献   

Some examples of unusual skeletal bonding topologies in metallaboranes containing two or three early transition metal vertices

The metallaboranes (CpM)(2)B(n)H(n+4) (M = Cr, Mo, W; n = 4, 5; Cp = eta(5)-C(5)H(5), eta(5)-C(5)Me(5)), (CpW)(2)B(7)H(9), (CpRe)(2)B(7)H(7), and (CpW)(3)B(8)H(9) have the 2v or 2v + 2 skeletal electrons for closo or isocloso deltahedra (v = number of polyhedral vertices) if the early transition metal vertices are assumed to contribute four or more internal orbitals rather than the usual three internal orbitals for BH vertices. The polyhedra for the metallaboranes (CpM)(2)B(n)H(n+4) (M = Cr, Mo, W; n = 4, 5) are derived from (n + 1)-gonal bipyramids by removal of an equatorial vertex. The deltahedra for the larger metallaboranes (CpW)(2)B(7)H(9), (CpRe)(2)B(7)H(7), and (CpW)(3)B(8)H(9) are derived from the corresponding B(n)H(n)(2)(-) deltahedra (n = 9 and 11 in these cases) by sufficient diamond-square-diamond processes to provide vertices of degrees > or = 6 for each of the CpM vertices. Reasonable skeletal bonding topologies in accord with the availability of skeletal electrons and orbitals consist of surface 2c-2e and 3c-2e bonds supplemented by metal-metal bonding through the center of the polyhedron.     

Density functional study of 8- and 11-vertex polyhedral borane structures: comparison with bare germanium clusters

Density functional theory (DFT) at the hybrid B3LYP level has been applied to the polyhedral boranes B(n)H(n)(z) (n = 8 and 11, z = -2, -4, and -6) for comparison with isoelectronic germanium clusters Ge(n)(z). The energy differences between the global minima and other higher energy borane structures are much larger relative to the case of the corresponding bare germanium clusters. Furthermore, for both B(8)H(8)(2-) and B(11)H(11)(2-), the lowest energy computed structures are the corresponding experimentally observed most spherical deltahedra predicted by the Wade-Mingos rules, namely the D(2)(d) bisdisphenoid and the C(2)(v) edge-coalesced icosahedron, respectively. Only in the case of B(8)H(8)(2-) is there a second structure close (+2.6 kcal/mol) to the D(2)(d) bisdisphenoid global minimum, namely the C(2)(v) bicapped trigonal prism corresponding to the "square" intermediate in a single diamond-square-diamond process that can lead to the experimentally observed room temperature fluxionality of B(8)H(8)(2-). Stable borane structures with 3-fold symmetry (e.g., D(3)(h), C(3)(v), etc.) are not found for boranes with 8- and 11-vertices, in contrast to the corresponding germanium clusters where stable structures derived from the D(3)(d) bicapped octahedron and D(3)(h) pentacapped trigonal prism are found for the 8- and 11-vertex systems, respectively. The lowest energy structures found for the electron-rich boranes B(8)H(8)(4-) and B(11)H(11)(4-) are nido polyhedra derived from a closo deltahedron by removal of a relatively high degree vertex, as predicted by the Wade-Mingos rules. They relate to isoelectronic species found experimentally, e.g., B(8)H(12) and R(4)C(4)B(4)H(4) for B(8)H(8)(4-) and C(2)B(9)H(11)(2-) for B(11)H(11)(4-). Three structures were found for B(11)H(11)(6-) with arachno type geometry having two open faces in accord with the Wade-Mingos rules.     

Supraicosahedral polyhedra in carboranes and metallacarboranes: The role of local vertex environments in determining polyhedral topology and the anomaly of 13-vertex closo polyhedra

Metal-free carboranes having 13 vertices are anomalous since their closo polyhedra having the expected 28 skeletal electrons are not the usual deltahedra with exclusively triangular faces but instead polyhedra with one or two trapezoidal faces obtained by removal of one or more edges from the corresponding 13-vertex deltahedron. Removal of such edges converts degree 6 boron vertices in the 13-vertex deltahedron into more favorable degree 5 boron vertices while lowering the degree of nearby carbon vertices. Thus the anomaly of the 13-vertex carborane closo polyhedron can be rationalized by the preference of boron for degree 5 vertices. The 12-vertex tetracarbon carborane (CH₃)₄C₄B₈H₈ with a nido electron count of 28 skeletal electrons but with two quadrilateral faces has a solid state structure derived from a 13-vertex “closo” polyhedron with one quadrilateral face by removal of a degree 4 vertex to give the second quadrilateral face. However, the corresponding tetraethyl derivative (C₂H₅)₄C₄B₈H₈ has a different solid state structure derived from removal of a degree 6 vertex from an unusual 13-vertex deltahedron with three degree 6 vertices to give an open hexagonal face rather than two quadrilateral faces. In contrast to the 13-vertex closo polyhedra, the 14-vertex closo polyhedron is a true deltahedron, namely the D_6d bicapped hexagonal antiprism, which is found in a carborane derivative as well as in several dimetallacarboranes with the metal atoms always at the degree 6 vertices. However, the 15-vertex closo polyhedron, so far found only in the metallaborane 1,2-μ-(CH₂)₃C₂B₁₂H₁₂Ru(η⁶-p-cymene), is a non-deltahedron with one quadrilateral face.     

Density functional theory study of 11-atom germanium clusters: effect of electron count on cluster geometry

Density functional theory (DFT) at the hybrid B3LYP level has been applied to the germanium clusters Ge(11)(z) (z = -6, -4, -2, 0, +2, +4, +6) starting from eight different initial configurations. The global minimum within the Ge(11)(2-) set is an elongated pentacapped trigonal prism distorted from D(3)(h) to C(2v) symmetry. However, the much more spherical edge-coalesced icosahedron, also of C(2v) symmetry, expected by the Wade-Mingos rules for a 2n + 2 skeletal electron system and found experimentally in B(11)H(11)(2-) and isoelectronic carboranes, is of only slightly higher energy (+5.2 kcal/mol). Even more elongated D(3)(h) pentacapped trigonal prisms are the global minima for the electron-rich structures Ge(11)(4-) and Ge(11)(6-). For Ge(11)(4-) the C(5v) 5-capped pentagonal antiprism analogous to the dicarbollide ligand C(2)B(9)H(11)(2-) is of significantly higher energy (approximately 28 kcal/mol) than the D(3h) global minimum. The C(2v) edge-coalesced icosahedron is also the global minimum for the electron-poor Ge(11) similar to its occurrence in experimentally known 11-vertex "isocloso" metallaboranes of the type (eta(6)-arene)RuB(10)H(10). The lowest energy polyhedral structures computed for the more hypoelectronic Ge(11)(4+) and Ge(11)(6+) clusters are very similar to those found experimentally for the isoelectronic ions E(11)(7-) (E = Ga, In, Tl) and Tl(9)Au(2)(9-) in intermetallics in the case of Ge(11)(4+) and Ge(11)(6+), respectively. These DFT studies predict an interesting D(5h) centered pentagonal prismatic structure for Ge(11)(2+) and isoelectronic metal clusters.     

Flattening of rhodium vertices in mixed rhodium-nickel carbonyl clusters: relationships to borane and zintl ion structures

The flattened deltahedra and related polyhedra found in hypoelectronic bare group 13 metal cluster anions are also found in some anionic mixed rhodium-nickel carbonyl clusters. In all cases the rhodium vertices rather than the nickel vertices are involved in the flattening process so that the rhodium vertices contribute four internal orbitals and the nickel vertices three internal orbitals to the skeletal bonding of the cluster. Thus, the 11-vertex cluster Rh(5)Ni(6)(CO)(21)(3-) has a D(3h) triflattened pentacapped trigonal prismatic structure similar to that found in the In(11)(7-) anion of the intermetallic K(8)In(11). Similarly the polyhedra in the 11-vertex cluster RhNi(10)(CO)(19)(3-) and the 9-vertex cluster Rh(3)Ni(6)(CO)(17)(3-) are both derived from a 10-vertex isocloso polyhedron by capping (for RhNi(10)(CO)(19)(3-)) or vertex removal (for Rh(3)Ni(6)(CO)(17)(3-)) followed by flattening all of the rhodium vertices. A D(3h) icosahedron with flattened rhodium vertices is found in the 12-vertex cluster Rh(3)Ni(9)(CO)(22)(3-).     

Unsaturation in binuclear cyclopentadienyliron carbonyls

The binuclear cyclopentadienyliron carbonyls Cp2Fe2(CO)n (n = 4, 3, 2, 1; Cp = eta(5)-C5H5) have been studied by density functional theory (DFT) using the B3LYP and BP86 methods. The trans- and cis-Cp2Fe2(CO)2(mu-CO)2 isomers of Cp2Fe2(CO)4 known experimentally are predicted by DFT methods to be genuine minima with no significant imaginary vibrational frequencies. The energies of these two Cp2Fe2(CO)2(mu-CO)2 structures are very similar, consistent with the experimental observation of an equilibrium between these isomers in solution. An intermediate between the interconversion of the trans- and cis-Cp2Fe2(CO)2(mu-CO)2 dibridged isomers of Cp2Fe2(CO)4 can be the trans unbridged isomer of Cp2Fe2(CO)4 calculated to be 2.3 kcal/mol (B3LYP) or 9.1 kcal/mol (BP86) above the global minimum trans-Cp2Fe2(CO)2(mu-CO)2. For the unsaturated Cp2Fe2(CO)3, the known triplet isomer Cp2Fe2(mu-CO)3 with an Fe=Fe double bond similar to the O=O double bond in O2 is found to be the global minimum. The lowest-energy structure for the even more unsaturated Cp2Fe2(CO)2 is a dibridged structure Cp2Fe2(mu-CO)2, with a short Fe-Fe distance suggestive of the Fe[triple bond]Fe triple bond required to give both Fe atoms the favored 18-electron configuration. Singlet and triplet unbridged structures for Cp2Fe2(CO)2 were also found but at energies considerably higher (20-50 kcal/mol) than that of the global minimum Cp2Fe2(mu-CO)2. The lowest-energy structure for Cp2Fe2(CO) is the triplet unsymmetrically bridged structure Cp2Fe2(mu-CO), with a short Fe-Fe distance (approximately 2.1 A) suggestive of the sigma + 2pi + (2/2)delta Fe[quadruple bond]Fe quadruple bond required to give both Fe atoms the favored 18-electron rare gas configuration.     

Density functional theory study of twelve-atom germanium clusters: conflict between the Wade-Mingos rules and optimum vertex degrees

Density functional theory (DFT) at the hybrid B3LYP level has been applied to Ge(12)(z) bare germanium clusters (z = -6, -4, -2, 0, +2, +4, +6) starting from 11 initial configurations. The Wade-Mingos rules are seen to have limited value in rationalizing the results since they frequently require vertex degrees higher than the optimum vertex degree of 4 for germanium. Thus the expected I(h) regular icosahedron is no longer the global minimum for Ge(12)(2-) although it remains a low energy structure for Ge(12)(2-) lying only 5.6 kcal mol(-1) above a bicapped arachno structure conforming to the Wade-Mingos rules. The three lowest energy structures for Ge(12)(4-) within 11 kcal mol(-1) are a prolate (elongated) polyhedron with six quadrilateral faces and eight triangular faces, the dual of the bisdisphenoid with four trapezoidal and four pentagonal faces, and a polyhedron with two quadrilateral and 16 triangular faces related but not identical to the polyhedron found in the known tetracarbon carboranes R(4)C(4)B(8)H(8). The lowest energy structures for the neutral Ge(12) are seen to be distorted versions of the icosahedron and the bicapped 10-vertex arachno lowest energy structures for Ge(12)(2-). The low energy structures for the even more hypoelectronic Ge(12)(2+) and Ge(12)(4+) are even more unusual including a hexacapped octahedron, a tetracapped square antiprism, and a double cube for Ge(12)(2+) and a C(2v) structure with a central unique degree 6 vertex for Ge(12)(4+).     

Synthesis and structure of heterometallic complexes (RhFe, CoFe) containing bridging 1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecarborane-1,2-dichalcogenolato ligands

The prototype hetero-binuclear complexes containing metal-metal bonds, {CpRh[E2C2(B10H10)]}[Fe(CO)3] (Cp = Cp* = eta 5-Me5C5, E = S(5a), Se(5b); Cp = Cp = eta 5-1,3-tBu2C5H3, E = S(6a), Se(6b)) and {CpCo[E2C2(B10H10)]}[Fe(CO)3] (Cp = Cp* = eta 5-Me5C5, E = S(7a), Se(7b); Cp = Cp = eta 5-C5H5, E = S(8a), Se(8b)) were obtained from the reactions of 16-electron complexes CpRh[E2C2(B10H10)] (Cp = Cp*, E = S(1a), Se(1b); Cp = Cp, E = S(2a), Se(2b)), CpCo[E2C2(B10H10)] (Cp = Cp*, E = S(3a), Se(3b); Cp = Cp, E = S(4a), Se(4b)) with Fe(CO)5 in the presence of Me3NO. The molecular structures of {Cp*Rh[E2C2(B10H10)]}[Fe(CO)3] (E = S(5a), Se(5b)), {CpRh[S2C2(B10H10)]}[Fe(CO)3] (6a) {Cp*Co[S2C2(B10H10)]}[Fe(CO)3] (7a) and {CpCo[S2C2(B10H10)]}[Fe(CO)3] (8a) have been determined by X-ray crystallography. All these complexes were characterized by elemental analysis and IR and NMR spectra.     

Synthetic, spectroscopic, computational and structural studies of some 13-vertex ruthenacarboranes

Reduction of 1,2-closo-C2B10H12 followed by treatment with [RuCl2(p-cymene)]2(p-cymene = C6H4MeiPr-1,4) affords the 13-vertex ruthenacarborane 4-(p-cymene)-4,1,6-closo-RuC2B10H12, characterised both spectroscopically and, in two crystalline forms, crystallographically. Although asymmetric in the solid state, having a docosahedral cage architecture with cage C atoms at vertices 1 and 6, this species clearly has Cs symmetry on the NMR timescale at room temperature. However, the fluctional process in operation can be arrested at low temperature, and an activation energy of 43.1 kJ mol(-1) is estimated. A computational study of the related species 4-(eta-C6H6)-4,1,6-closo-RuC2B10H12 reveals that the fluctionality is due to a double diamond-square-diamond process, first suggested by Hawthorne et al for the analogous CpCo species. These calculations yield an activation energy of 40.4 kJ mol(-1), in excellent agreement with that derived from experiment. Reduction of 1,2-Ph(2)-1,2-closo-C2B10H10 followed by treatment with [RuCl2(eta-C6H6)]2 or [RuCl2(p-cymene)]2 yields the analogous species 1,6-Ph2-4-(eta-C6H6)-4,1,6-closo-RuC2B10H10 and 1,6-Ph2-4-(p-cymene)-4,1,6-closo-RuC2B10H10, respectively. These C,C-diphenyl compounds were again studied spectroscopically and crystallographically, the p-cymene species again showing two crystalline modifications. In contrast to their CpCo and Cp*Co analogues all three ruthenacarboranes do not undergo isomerisation in refluxing toluene.     

Ring opening of 2,5-didehydrothiophene: structures and rearrangements of C4H2S isomers

Electronic structures and rearrangement pathways of several C4H2S isomers are computationally investigated by methods based on coupled cluster theory and density functional theory. Six singlet C4H2S isomers lie within ca. 30 kcal/mol above butatrienethione (6), the apparent global minimum. Ethynylthioketene (7) lies only 2 kcal/mol higher in energy than cumulene 6. Two open-chain isomers, butadiynylthiol (8) and diethynyl sulfide (9), reside ca. 9 and 24 kcal/mol above 6, respectively. Lying 30 kcal/mol above 6, two cyclic singlet isomers, ethynylthiirene (10) and cyclopropenylidenemethanthione (11), are nearly degenerate in energy. Thiophene-2,5-diyl (12) lies substantially higher in energy than 6 (ca. 45 kcal/mol) and is predicted to rearrange preferentially by C-S bond cleavage, leading to thioketene 7, rather than by C-C bond cleavage, leading to diethynyl sulfide (9; retro-Bergman cyclization). Accurate spectroscopic properties of these C4H2S isomers, as well as an understanding of their rearrangement pathways, should facilitate the detection and characterization of these isomers in the laboratory and the interstellar medium.     

Cyclopentadienyl ruthenium, rhodium, and iridium vertices in metallaboranes: geometry and chemical bonding

Most cyclopentadienylmetallaboranes containing the vertex units CpM (M = Co, Rh, Ir; Cp = eta(5)-cyclopentadienyl ring, mainly eta(5)-Me(5)C(5)) and CpRu donating two and one skeletal electrons, respectively, have structures closely related to binary boranes or borane anions. Smaller clusters of this type, such as metallaborane analogues of arachno-B(4)H(10) (e.g., (CpIr)(2)B(2)H(8)), nido-B(5)H(9) (e.g., (CpRh)(2)B(3)H(7) and (CpRu)(2)B(3)H(9)), arachno-B(5)H(11) (e.g., CpIrB(4)H(10)), B(6)H(6)(2)(-) (e.g., (CpCo)(4)B(2)H(4)), nido-B(6)H(10) (e.g., CpIrB(5)H(9) and (CpRu)(2)B(4)H(10)), and arachno-B(6)H(12) (e.g., (CpIr)(2)B(4)H(10)), have the same skeletal electron counts as those of the corresponding boranes. However, such clusters with eight or more vertices, such as metallaborane analogues of B(8)H(8)(2)(-) (e.g., (CpCo)(4)B(4)H(4)), arachno-B(8)H(14) (e.g., (CpRu)(2)B(6)H(12)), and nido-B(10)H(14) (e.g., (CpRu)(2)B(8)H(12)), have two skeletal electrons less than those of the corresponding metal-free boranes, analogous to the skeletal electron counts of isocloso boranes relative to those of metal-free deltahedral boranes. Some metallaboranes have structures not analogous to metal-free boranes but instead analogous to metal carbonyl clusters such as 3-capped square pyramidal (CpRu)(2)B(4)H(8) and (CpRu)(3)B(3)H(8) analogous to H(2)Os(6)(CO)(16) and capped octahedral (CpRh)(3)B(4)H(4) analogous to Os(7)(CO)(21). In the metallaborane structures closely related to metal-free boranes, the favored degrees of BH and CpM vertices appear to be 5 and 6, respectively.     

Condensed tantalaborane clusters: synthesis and structures of [(Cp*Ta)2B5H7{Fe(CO)3}2] and [(Cp*Ta)2B5H9{Fe(CO)3}4

The reaction of [(Cp*Ta)(2)B(4)H(9)(μ-BH(4))] (1; Cp* = η(5)-C(5)Me(5)) with [Fe(2)(CO)(9)] in hexane yielded [(Cp*Ta)(2)B(5)H(7){Fe(CO)(3)}(2)] (2) and [(Cp*Ta)(2)B(5)H(9){Fe(CO)(3)}(4)] (3) in moderate yield. Cluster 2 represents the first example of a bicapped pentagonal-bipyramidal metallaborane with a deformed equatorial plane, and 3 can be described as a fused cluster in which two pentagonal-bipyramidal units are fused through a common 3-vertex triangular face. Compounds 2 and 3 have been characterized by mass spectrometry and IR, (1)H, (11)B, and (13)C NMR spectroscopy, and the geometric structures were unequivocally established by crystallographic analysis.     

Activation of arene C[bond]H bonds by a cationic hafnium silyl complex possessing an alpha-agostic Si[bond]H interaction

The reaction of Cp2Hf(SiMes2H)Me (1) with B(C6F5)3 produces zwitterionic Cp2Hf(eta2-SiHMes2)(mu-Me)B(C6F5)3 (2), which is stable for >8 h at -40 degrees C in toluene-d8. Spectroscopic data provide evidence for an unusual alpha-agostic Si-H interaction in 2. At room temperature, 2 reacts with the C-H bonds of aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene and toluene to produce Cp2Hf(Ph)(mu-Me)B(C6F5)3 (3), isomers of Cp2Hf(C6H4Me)(mu-Me)B(C6F5)3 (4-6), and Cp2Hf(CH2Ph)(mu-Me)B(C6F5)3 (7), respectively. The reaction involving benzene is first-order in both 2 and benzene; rate = k[2][C6H6]. Mechanistic data including activation parameters (DeltaH = 19(1) kcal/mol; DeltaS = -17(3) eu), a large primary isotope effect of 6.9(7), and the experimentally determined rate law are consistent with a mechanism involving a concerted transition state for C-H bond activation.     

Carboranes and baskets from reaction of B4H10 with allene

The reaction of the boron hydride B4H10 with allene was studied at the CCSD(T)/6-311+G(d)//MP2/6-31G(d) level. The mechanism is surprisingly complex with 44 transition states and several branching points located. The four carboranes and one basket that have been observed experimentally are all connected by pathways that have very similar free energies of activation. In addition, two new structures, a basket (2,4-(CH2CH2CH2)B4H8, 5a) and a "classical" structure (1,4-(Me2C)bisdiborane, 7), which might be obtained from the B4H10 + C3H4 reaction under the right conditions (hot/cold, quenched, etc.) have been identified. The first branch point in the reaction is the competition between H2 elimination from B4H10 (DeltaG(298 K) = 32.2 kcal/mol) and the hydroboration of allene by B4H10 (DeltaG(298 K) = 31.3 kcal/mol). The next branch point in the hydroboration mechanism controls the formation of 2,4-(MeCHCH2)B4H8 (1) (DeltaG(298 K) = 31.5 kcal/mol) and arachno-1,2/arachno-1,3-Me2-1-CB4H7 (8 and 8a) (DeltaG(298 K) = 34.3 kcal/mol). Another branch point in the H2-elimination mechanism controls the formation of 1-Me-2,5-micro-CH2-1-CB4H7 (29) (DeltaG(298 K) = 0.1 kcal/mol) and 2,5-micro-CHMe-1-CB4H7 (25/26) (DeltaG(298 K) = 7.3 kcal/mol). Formation of 2-Me-2,3-C2B4H7, a carborane observed in the reaction of methylacetylene with B4H10, is calculated to be blocked by a high barrier for H2 elimination. All free energies are relative to B4H10 + allene. An interesting reaction step discovered is the "reverse hydroboration step" in which a hydrogen atom is transferred from carbon back to boron, which allows a CH hydrogen to shuttle between the terminal and central carbon of allene.     

Binuclear cyclopentadienylcobalt carbonyls: comparison with binuclear iron carbonyls

The binuclear cyclopentadienylcobalt carbonyls Cp2Co2(CO)n (n = 3, 2, 1; Cp = eta5-C5H5) are studied by density functional theory using the B3LYP and BP86 functionals. The experimentally known monobridged isomer Cp2Co2(CO)2(mu-CO) and the tribridged isomer Cp2Co2(mu-CO)3 of Cp2Co2(CO)3 with formal Co-Co single bonds are found to be similar in energy, with the precise relative energies of the two isomers depending on the functional chosen. For Cp2Co2(CO)2, the experimentally known coaxial isomer Cp2Co2(mu-CO)2 with two bridging CO groups and a formal Co=Co double bond (2.360 angstroms by B3LYP or 2.346 angstroms by BP86) is found to lie 38.2 (B3LYP) or 34.9 kcal/mol (BP86) below a perpendicular isomer perpendicular-Cp2Co2(CO)2. Similarly, for Cp2Co2(CO), the coaxial isomer Cp2Co2(mu-CO) with one bridging CO group and a formal CoCo triple bond (2.021 angstroms by B3LYP or 2.050 angstroms by BP86) is found to lie 9.36 (B3LYP) or 9.62 kcal/mol (BP86) below the corresponding perpendicular isomer perpendicular-Cp2Co2(CO). This coaxial isomer Cp2Co2(mu-CO) is a possible intermediate in the known pyrolysis of the trimer (eta5-C5H5)3Co3(mu-CO)3 to give the tetranuclear complex (eta5-C5H5)4Co4(mu3-CO)2. These optimized Cp2Co2(CO)n (n = 3, 2, 1) structures can be compared with the corresponding Fe2(CO)6+n structures since the CpCo and Fe(CO)3 groups are isolobal. In general, the metal-metal bonds are 0.09-0.22 angstroms shorter for the Cp2Co2(CO)n (n = 3, 2, 1) complexes than for the corresponding Fe2(CO)6+n complexes. For Fe2(CO)9, the experimentally well-known Fe2(CO)6(mu-CO)3 isomer is shown to be very close in energy to the unknown Fe2(CO)8(mu-CO) isomer, with the precise relative energies depending on the basis set used.