Homobimetallic B-frame species: [{(PPh3)2Ru}-(µ-MeCO2)3-(µ-H)2-{RuB10H7}], a unique diruthenaborane in which the metal atoms are linked by one-, two-, three-, and four-membered bridges

Abstract

Reaction of [RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃] with closo-[B₁₀H₁₀]^2– in MeCO₂H/tetrahydrofuran (thf) solution forms [{(PPh₃)₂Ru}-(µ-MeCO₂)₃-(µ-H)₂-{closo-1-RuB₁₀H₇}], a unique homobimetallic ‘B-frame’ complex in which the Ru atom of a closo-type 11-vertex {RuB₁₀} cluster is joined to a second Ru atom via Ru–H–Ru, Ru–B–H–Ru, Ru–O–C–O–Ru, and Ru–B–O–C–O–Ru bridges; other products include the monometallaborane [1-(PPh₃)-1,2;1,6-(µ-MeCOO-O,O′)₂-3-(OH)-closo-1-RuB₁₀H₇], which has two exopolyhedral acetate B-Ru bridges and a rare B-terminal OH group.