Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Group 10 Metal−Carboryne Complexes

A series of group 10 metal−carboryne complexes were prepared from an equimolar reaction of MCl2(PR3)2 with Li2C2B10H10−nXn (M = Ni, Pd, Pt; X = Br, I, Ph; n = 0, 1, 2). They were fully characterized by various spectroscopic techniques, elemental analyses, and X-ray diffraction studies. These complexes have similar solid-state structures, in which the metal atom is bonded to two cage carbon atoms and coordinated to two phosphorus atoms in a planar geometry. The coordinated phosphines are labile and can be replaced by other Lewis bases. The bonding interactions between the metal and the carboryne unit can be described as a resonance hybrid of both the M−C σ- and M−C π-bonding forms. These complexes can be viewed as 16e species.