Penta- and Hexaruthenium Carbonyl ‘Raft' Complexes Supported by Monocarborane Cage Ligands

Reaction between [PPh4][closo-4-CB8H9] and [Ru3(CO)12] in refluxing toluene affords the unprecedented hexaruthenium
metallacarborane salt [PPh4][2,3,7-{Ru(CO)3}-2,6,11-{Ru(CO)3}-7,11,12-{Ru(CO)3}-3,6,12-(μ-H)3-2,2,7,7,11,11-(CO)6-closo-2,7,11,1-Ru3CB8H6] (1a), which contains a planar Ru6 ‘raft' supported by a {CB8} monocarborane
cluster. Addition of [CuCl(PPh3)]4 and Tl[PF6] to a CH2Cl2 solution of 1a results in simple cation replacement,
forming the analogous [Cu(PPh3)3]+ salt (1b). The phenyl-substituted monocarborane [NEt4][6-Ph-nido-6-CB9H11]
reacts with [Ru3(CO)12] in refluxing 1,2-dimethoxyethane to afford the pentaruthenium cluster species [N(PPh3)2][2,3,7-{Ru(CO)3}-3,4,8-{Ru(CO)3}-7,8-(μ-H)2-1-Ph-2,2,3,3,4,4-(CO)6-hypercloso-2,3,4,1-Ru3CB8H6] (2), after addition
of [N(PPh3)2]Cl. Treatment of 2 with [CuCl(PPh3)]4 and Tl[PF6] in CH2Cl2 forms the zwitterionic complex [10,12-{exo-Cu(PPh3)2}-2,3,7-{Ru(CO)3}-3,4,8-{Ru(CO)3}-7,8,10,12-(μ-H)4-1-Ph-2,2,3,3,4,4-(CO)6-hypercloso-2,3,4,1-Ru3CB8H4] (3). Substitution of CO by PPh3 with concomitant cation replacement occurs on introduction of [AuCl(PPh3)],
Tl[PF6], and PPh3 to a CH2Cl2 solution of 2, forming [Au(PPh3)2][2,3,7-{Ru(CO)2PPh3}-3,4,8-{Ru(CO)2PPh3}-7,8-(μ-H)2-1-Ph-2,2,3,3,4,4-(CO)6-hypercloso-2,3,4,1-Ru3CB8H6] (4). Crystallographic studies confirmed the cluster
architectures in 1b, 2, and 3.