Facile Isomerization and Unprecedented Decarbonation of Metallacarboranes with Fluorinated Aryl Substituents

Reduction and metalation of 1,2-(4′-F3CC6F4)2-1,2-closo-C2B10H10 affords 4,1,12-MC2B10 compounds directly at room temperature with no evidence of intermediate 4,1,6- or 4,1,8-analogues. For M = CpCo this species is the only isolable product. The M = Cp*Co analogue is produced together with an icosahedral dimetallacarborane that remarkably has lost a cage C vertex.