Expanding icosahedral frameworks: structure and bonding of bicapped icosahedral cluster [(Cp*Co)4Fe(CO)B9H11]

Abstract

A bicapped icosahedral cluster, [(Cp*Co)₄Fe(CO)B₉H₁₁] (Cp* = η⁵-C₅Me₅; 1), has been synthesized and structurally characterized. Cluster 1 represents the first closo-metallaborane with a bicapped icosahedral geometry that follows the capped skeletal electron counting rule. Furthermore, a bicapped square antiprism cluster, [(Cp*Co)₃B₇H₉] (2), has been isolated, which obeys Wade's skeletal electron pair (SEP) rule.