Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and Reactivity Studies of 5‑CF3SO3‑B10H13

In contrast to previous reactions carried out in cyclopentane solvent at room temperature that produced 6-TfO-B10H13 (TfO = CF3SO3), the reaction of closo-B10H102– with a large excess of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid in the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate (bmimOTf) gave exclusively the previously unknown 5-TfO-B10H13 isomer. Experimental and computational studies demonstrated that the difference in the products of the two reactions is a result of 6-TfO-B10H13 isomerizing to 5-TfO-B10H13 above room temperature in bmimOTf solutions. Reactivity studies showed that 5-TfO-B10H13: (1) is deprotonated by reaction with 1,8-bis­(dimethylamino)­naphthalene to form the 5-TfO-B10H121– anion; (2) reacts with alcohols to produce 6-RO-B10H13 boryl ethers (R = Me and 4-CH3O-C6H4); (3) undergoes olefin-hydroboration reactions to form 5-TfO-6,9-R2-B10H11 derivatives; and (4) forms a 5-TfO-6,9-(Me2S)2-B10H11 adduct at its Lewis acidic 6,9-borons upon reaction with dimethylsulfide. The 5-TfO-6,9-(Me2S)2-B10H11 adduct was also found to undergo alkyne-insertion reactions to form a range of previously unreported triflate-substituted 4-TfO-ortho-carboranes (1-R-4-TfO-1,2-C2B10H10) and reactions with triethylamine or ammonia to form the first TfO-substituted decaborate [R3NH+]2[2-TfO-B10H92–], and [R3NH+]2[1-TfO-B10H92–] (R = H, Et) salts.